A special workshop aimed at raising awareness among government executive officers on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform the public service into a more productive and efficient institution was held recently (12) at the auditorium of the Ratnapura District Secretariat.

The workshop, titled “AI for Transforming Public Service,” was organised under the guidance of the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Digital Economy, with the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council taking the lead and the support of the Ratnapura District Secretariat. Executive-grade public officials from across the Sabaragamuwa Province participated in the programme.

This workshop has been organised as a key step in the government’s programme to digitalise the public service, with the objective of raising awareness and preparing public officials, as well as fostering a positive attitude towards artificial intelligence within the public sector.

Resource persons for the workshop were Mr Harsha Purasinha and Mr Samisa Abeysinha, former directors of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), who are currently serving as resource contributors to digital and Artificial Intelligence capacity-building programmes implemented by the Presidential Secretariat.

The event was attended by the Chief Secretary of the Sabaragamuwa Province, Ms E. K. A. Sunitha, and the District Secretary/Government Agent of Ratnapura, Mr K. G. S. Nishantha, along with executive-grade officers from the Ratnapura and Kegalle districts.