The Digital assistant for consultation and preparation

Together with our partners, we are developing a tool that will be integrated into the workflow of government officials to harmonise, streamline, and support the drafting process and the involvement of various stakeholders. We aim to improve the quality and acceptability of decision-making and to strengthen citizens’ ability to influence and participate in it.

Numerous methods are available for consultation, participation and other forms of preparatory work. There is also a wealth of information and expertise on how to utilise them, but it is fragmented. The assistant lowers the threshold for adopting different methods and helps select the most suitable methods for each project.

In practice, this assistant uses artificial intelligence to provide recommendations on suitable methods and how to use them. It also provides resource estimates, supports planning and implementation for engagement efforts and assists with impact assessments. The assistant brings together methodological information in one place, making it easier to use, more accessible and more efficient.

We are currently compiling content on different methods and co-developing the tool with the public administration, researchers, developers, technical experts and AI experts. This work is carried out through dialogue and iteration.

The first pilot version of the assistant will be finished in early autumn 2026 for trial use by the Government. Once the data platform and backend system are up and running, it will be possible to create scaled-up versions of the assistant, tailored for use by wellbeing services counties, municipalities, and citizens.

Multiple simultaneous crises and increasing polarisation are undermining trust and societies’ ability to make decisions on the most critical issues. According to a recent Nordic survey, public trust in society is declining in Finland. Although trust in institutions is relatively high in Finland, Finns are sceptical about their own influence compared with other OECD countries. Trust, especially in political decision-making, has declined significantly in recent years. According to the OECD, the greatest improvements in trust can be achieved by strengthening people’s agency.

The involvement of citizens and stakeholders in decision-making and policy preparation supports open and good governance, which in turn helps to strengthen public trust. The assistant supports better decision-making by making it easier to use participatory methods and ensures that practices are standardised.

The data on engagement methods collected using the assistant also enables transparent communication about stakeholder involvement. At the same time, this can help demonstrate how public engagement and its results are utilised as part of the decision-making and planning processes.

Partners in the initial phase are the Ministry of Finance (Open Government Unit), the Ministry of Justice (Democracy Unit) and the rest of the Government. We engage in international cooperation with organisations such as the OECD. We will strengthen cooperation with municipalities, wellbeing services counties and civil society as the rollout of the assistant proceeds.