Digitisation and Ai for the public sector.
autonom advises German municipalities, state and federal authorities on digitisation and Ai — and develops its own solutions for administration. We evaluate use cases against GDPR, IT baseline protection and the EU Ai Act, prefer EU-hosted or on-premises deployment for sensitive data, and document every processing step so oversight authorities can follow it.
By Paul Pfeiffer · autonom
Public-sector Ai: sovereign, documented, auditable.
Public administration operates under a stricter frame than private companies. Every Ai application must be classified against the EU Ai Act, every processing operation documented under GDPR, and every technical decision defendable in front of the state data-protection authority and the Bundesrechnungshof or the Rechnungshof of your state.
We plan accordingly: no shadow IT, no cloud provider that fails the sovereignty test, no black-box model where an administrative act is prepared. Instead: EU-hosted or on-premises LLM endpoints, deterministic guardrails, complete audit trails, and human sign-off at every legally relevant step.
Where Ai works today.
- Internal knowledge bases for case-handling staff (laws, regulations, prior decisions).
- Ai-assisted pre-check of applications and forms, with human sign-off.
- Translation and plain-language rewriting for multilingual communication with residents.
- Structured automation of recurring administrative acts with deterministic rules and LLM support only for edge cases.
- Meeting minutes and briefing summarisation for leadership.
We don't just advise — we build for administration.
Alongside consulting, we develop our own solutions for digitising administration — in clubs and associations as well as in municipalities and authorities. Where it fits, we bring these tools into your project instead of starting from zero.
Our projects →Answers for procurement, IT and specialist departments.
Are public-sector organisations allowed to use Ai?
Yes — within a clear frame. The EU Ai Act, GDPR, IT baseline protection and administrative-procedure laws set the boundaries. Public bodies often fall into high-risk categories and must document transparency, human oversight and technical measures. We assess every application against these requirements.
Which Ai systems are actually usable in public administration?
Internal knowledge bases for case handling, Ai-assisted application review with human sign-off, translation and summarisation for multilingual communication, and structured automation of recurring administrative acts. Public-facing applications (citizen chatbots) only with a clear approval chain.
How is data protection secured?
We prefer EU-hosted providers or on-premises deployment for sensitive data. Selection weighs data residency, certifications and operating model per project. Data-processing agreements under Art. 28 GDPR are signed before project start; DPIA templates are part of the handover.
How does procurement work?
Below the thresholds via direct award, above via framework contracts or public tenders. We support your procurement office with standardised statements of work and effort estimates — including documentation compatible with German UVgO.
Who operates the systems in the end?
Your own specialist administrations and your IT. Handover is always the goal. We train the users, document operations, and optionally support you on an ongoing basis — cancellable monthly.
Do you also work for municipalities and small districts?
Yes. For smaller administrative units we offer deliberately lean formats: a half-day on-site visit plus written assessment, with recommendations that match the actual staffing level of a municipality.