Nearly everything now is governed by an operating system. Initially it was our mobile phones, the cars joined and later followed by homes. Your mobile phone is either running on Apple or Android operating system. This is also true of some latest cars.
The systems have given us and other objects super powers. Considering the struggle faced by governments in delivering on promises is it not about time they consider country operating systems?
Human leaders have tried to address health, transport and economic challenges, however, they often fail even though some of their intentions may be good. What has not been tried are operating systems designed specifically to run governments and countries.
What do I mean by an Operating System for a country and government? In simple terms it’s a tool that can be used to deliver a task with minimal intervention from a human. Of course such a system would still require input from a human and the rest will be taken care of by a machine. Most tasks that are carried out by governments are repetitive.
Education ministries at an administrative-level are mostly carrying out tasks that are repetitive. Most of these tasks often require an annual visit to the government office to provide tiny details over and above known personal details. Is there an opportunity to assign these tasks to operating systems that work with humans?
The advantage of adopting operating systems within governments could enable efficient delivery. Such systems could limit the chances of a government that begins its term of office with major promises and ends it with minor deliverables.
The process of enabling operating systems to form part of government delivery would involve hard work in the beginning. Most government departments would have to digitise their operations. This would form the basis for enabling country operating systems to run the show in future.
This process would also require some governments to take the lead in pioneering some of this work. The South African Revenue Services (Sars) is one of the few that is already paving the way in this regard. In future, Home Affairs could also join others judging by their current work with digitisation.
To ensure that countries adopt operating systems in governance, leaders would be required at the highest level. In the case of governments, a Ministry of Technology would be one entity that could make this a possibility. Tech leadership within governments can play a significant role in designing systems that can enable them to deliver.
In addition to the above, there’s a need for countries to develop their own digital versions. As society digitises governments will also have to find ways of existing fully in digital spaces.
If one day the metaverse will be a reality, we have to ask, Will your government exist in the metaverse?
It is time for governments to start viewing themselves as digital entities. All other things will be governed by operating systems and exist as digital beings. In what form will a government exist as a digital entity? This digital thinking should take the form of anyone who is planning society in the future. Society will have dual existence, physical and digital. It’s time for governments and countries to go digital.
Wesley Diphoko has been operating at the intersection media and technology as the Editor of FastCompany magazine. You can follow him on X: @WesleyDiphoko
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