Automated Agencies: The Transformation of Government Guidance

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Joshua D. Blank (University of California, Irvine) Leigh Osofsky (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

Automated Agencies

The Transformation of Government Guidance

Joshua D. Blank (University of California, Irvine), Leigh Osofsky (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

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English

Cambridge University Press
10 April 2025

IT & Communications law

Automated Agencies is the definitive account of how automation is transforming government explanations of the law to the public. Joshua D. Blank and Leigh Osofsky draw on extensive research regarding the federal government's turn to automated legal guidance through chatbots, virtual assistants, and other online tools. Blank and Osofsky argue that automated tools offer administrative benefits for both the government and the public in terms of efficiency and ease of use, yet these automated tools may also mislead members of the public. Government agencies often exacerbate this problem by making guidance seem more personalized than it is, not recognizing how users may rely on the guidance, and not disclosing that the guidance cannot be relied upon as a legal matter. After analyzing the potential costs and benefits of the use of automated legal guidance by government agencies, Automated Agencies charts a path forward for policymakers by offering detailed policy recommendations.

By: Joshua D. Blank (University of California Irvine), Leigh Osofsky (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781009347082
ISBN 10: 100934708X
Pages: 229
Publication Date: 10 April 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction; 1. The rise of automated customer service; 2. Automated legal guidance; 3. Simplexity. the law in plain language; 4. Simplexity in automated legal guidance; 5. View from the inside. Interviews with federal agency officials; 6. How automated legal guidance helps agencies and the public; 7. The hidden costs of automated legal guidance; 8. The democracy deficit; 9. How should automated legal guidance evolve?; 10. The future of agency communications; Conclusion.

Joshua D. Blank is Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. His scholarship focuses on tax administration and compliance, taxpayer privacy and tax transparency, and administrative agency communication. Leigh Osofsky is the William D. Spry III Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Her research focuses on the tax system, administrative law, and the ways that the federal government makes and communicates complex legal regimes.

Reviews for Automated Agencies: The Transformation of Government Guidance

'Blank and Osofsky thoughtfully explore the pitfalls of the federal government's use of automated guidance tools to answer questions about legal rights and obligations. A cautionary tale for those inclined to trust the advice such tools provide. Essential reading for anyone interested in making government really work for ordinary people.' Kristin E. Hickman, University of Minnesota Law School 'Both timely and foundational, this book reveals how the US government already uses computers to provide automated legal guidance and shows the promise and pitfalls of this approach. This careful book is neither starry-eyed nor dismissive about automated legal guidance; rather, Automated Agencies provides a realistic picture of where such guidance stands now and suggests a path forward that allows the government to take advantage of these powerful tools while still protecting those who use the tools. Automated Agencies is essential reading.' Sarah Lawsky, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law 'No topic in administrative law has been as understudied, relative to its real-world significance, as the ways in which agencies explain the law to the general public. The topic is becoming ever more important, as agencies develop methods of providing online automated guidance. With Automated Agencies, Professors Blank and Osofsky have provided the foundational work on the subject, examining it from every angle and concluding with thoughtful recommendations for agencies to follow. Like the best automated guidance, Automated Agencies is written in reader-friendly plain English, while scrupulously avoiding the perils of 'simplexity.' Lawrence A. Zelenak, Duke Law School 'AI is the next great challenge for governance. Automated Agencies, written by two of the nation's leading scholars on the subject, does a masterful job of capturing the pitfalls in how administrative agencies use AI to provide legal guidance to the public and of charting a path forward that is fairer and more effective.' Christopher J. Walker, University of Michigan Law School