Artificial intelligence agents as advanced decision support systems in public decision-making: evidence from Peru

Decision making in the public sector faces persistent challenges that have driven the analysis of technologies aimed at strengthening institutional performance. Within this context, the present study examined the association between the valuation of artificial intelligence agents (AIA) and decision making among public officials with national-level responsibilities in Peru. In this study, AIA are conceptualized as advanced decision support systems (DSS) that complement human judgment in complex public-sector decisions. A Likert-scale survey was administered to 93 participants and showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.952). Given the non-parametric nature of the data, associations were estimated using Kendall's Tau-b and Spearman's Rho. The results revealed a positive and statistically significant association between the valuation of AIA and overall decision-making (Tau-b = 0.588; Rho = 0.653; p < 0.001). Complementarily, the observed pattern was consistent with the notion that higher valuation of AIA is linked to more favorable perceptions of the decision-making process across the analyzed dimensions. In conclusion, the findings support that, in the Peruvian context, the valuation of AIA is associated with decision making perceived as more effective, suggesting their relevance as a complementary support to human judgment and as an AI-based DSS to guide evidence-based modernization of public management.