What you will learn
- What the government has announced on digital services and AI
- Safe, everyday uses of AI in an office
- The red lines: confidential and personal data
- Where public servants can train
The direction of travel
Public servants are at the centre of Guyana's digital push. Some of the main announcements and reported steps:
- AskGov. In June 2025 the President described AskGov as a planned AI assistant to answer citizens' questions and help with tasks such as renewing a licence or checking an application (DPI, 25 Jun 2025). In February 2026 the Minister of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation said it was still in development, with a hoped-for launch in the third quarter of 2026 (DPI, 4 Feb 2026). We could not find a public source confirming its launch as of 24 Oct 2026.
- Apps and portal. In the same February 2026 debate, the Minister described the Citizen Connect App for reporting issues, the Gov Connect App (then in a second phase at two ministries), and a planned My Guyana Citizen Portal as a single gateway to government services (same source).
- Digital ID. The Digital Identity Card Act came into operation on 31 March 2026 (Demerara Waves, 31 Mar 2026). By 12 May 2026 the Data Protection Commissioner said more than 21,000 people had enrolled, with a target of 200,000 by the end of 2026 (DPI, 12 May 2026).
- Policy approach. In January 2026 the Prime Minister said the government was replacing fragmented processes with integrated ICT systems and using "data-driven and AI-supported tools where they add clear value" (DPI, 29 Jan 2026).
For a public servant, this means more of your work will involve digital systems, and more citizens will arrive having already asked a chatbot.
Safe, everyday uses of AI at work
Always follow your ministry's or agency's own ICT and information policy first. If your agency has an approved AI tool, use that. If it has banned public AI tools, respect that. The uses below are only for information that is not confidential.
1. Plain-language writing
Citizens struggle with long, formal notices. AI can help you turn them into clear language.
Prompt: "Rewrite this public notice so a person with primary school education can understand it. Keep every date, amount and requirement exactly the same." Then check every date, amount and requirement yourself.
2. Drafting routine documents
First drafts of meeting agendas, event announcements, training outlines, standard reply letters to common questions. Use your agency's templates and approved wording.
3. Summarising public documents
Paste a public report or a published law (not internal drafts) and ask for a one-page summary of the main points. Check the summary against the original before you share it. AI can leave out key exceptions.
4. Learning a new skill
"Explain how to use a pivot table in a spreadsheet step by step." "Explain what a data protection impact assessment is." AI is a patient tutor.
5. Preparing for citizen questions
"What are the ten questions a citizen might ask about applying for [public service], and what information would they need?" Use the list to check that your notices and forms answer those questions. Fill in the real answers from official sources only.
The red lines
Never put these into a public AI tool, even to "just check the spelling":
- Personal information about citizens: names with ID numbers, TINs, NIS numbers, addresses, health information, case files
- Draft Cabinet papers, procurement and tender information, legal advice, investigations
- Passwords, system access details or network information
- Anything marked confidential, restricted or secret
- Recordings of meetings or interviews
Why it matters: free AI tools may store what you type, and staff at the AI company or their systems may process it. Once it leaves your screen, you cannot pull it back. A leak can harm citizens and break trust in public services.
Decisions stay with people
AI can help prepare work, but it should not make decisions about citizens' rights, benefits, licences or penalties. If a tool suggests an outcome, a trained officer must check it and be able to explain the reason in plain words. If you cannot explain why a decision was made, it should not be made that way.
Also watch for bias. If an AI tool is trained on past decisions that were unfair to some communities, it can repeat that unfairness. Report concerns through your supervisor.
Training open to public servants
- CEIT. The Ministry of Public Service's Centre for Excellence in Information Technology lists training in areas including Basics of Computers, Safe Online Communication, Cybersecurity Awareness, and Ethical Use of AI (Ministry of Public Service, CEIT page).
- Online courses. In February 2026 the Minister said more than 1,000 public servants were undergoing digital training, including through partnerships with platforms such as Coursera (DPI, 4 Feb 2026).
Ask your Human Resources section how to apply.
Example: a regional office notice
A clerk in a Regional Democratic Council office needs a notice about a change in office hours for the Christmas season. She:
- Opens the approved template.
- Asks a public AI tool: "Make this notice shorter and friendlier, keep the dates exactly the same." She pastes only the notice, which is going to be public anyway.
- Checks the dates and times against the memo from her supervisor.
- Sends it for approval in the normal way.
No personal data. No secret information. The human checked and approved. That is good practice. (This is a made-up example.)
Official links for public servants
These are official sites, checked on 24 Oct 2026. Text links only. The full list is on the Government and learning links page.
- Centre for Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) (Ministry of Public Service): ICT training for public servants, including Ethical Use of AI and Cybersecurity Awareness. https://mps.gov.gy/ceit/
- Ministry of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation (Government of Guyana): The Ministry leading public service digital training and the citizen apps and portal. https://mps.gov.gy/
- National Data Management Authority (NDMA) (Government of Guyana): The agency that runs government ICT networks, WiFiGY public internet sites, G-Cloud and government cybersecurity. https://ndma.gov.gy/
- Government of Guyana Portal (Government of Guyana): The official one-stop portal listing government services and agencies by topic. https://portal.gov.gy/
- GovConnect appointment booking (Government of Guyana): Book appointments for some government services online instead of waiting in a line. https://govconnect.gov.gy/
- Digital Identity Card Registry (e-ID) (Government of Guyana): Official e-ID portal: who can apply, what documents to bring and where the service centres are. https://e-id.gov.gy/
- CIRT.GY (Guyana National Computer Incident Response Team) (Government of Guyana): National team for cyber incidents. Publishes security advisories, including on deepfake scams. https://cirt.gy/
Key words
- e-ID: the national electronic identification card.
- Citizen portal: a single website where citizens can reach many government services.
- Confidential information: information that must only be seen by authorised people.
- Bias: when a system treats some groups unfairly, often because of the data it learned from.