The Better Way
2026
Human-Centred AI Award
Winner
Vilnius Institute for Human Systems (VIHS), Lithuania
Designers / Creators / Authors / Leaders
Rūta Kazlauskaitė, Mantas Vaitkus and Tomas Jankauskas
Project Synopsis
The Better Way is an experimental Human-Centered AI system being developed by the independent Vilnius Institute for Human Systems in Lithuania. It explores how artificial intelligence can help public authorities make decisions that are not only faster and more efficient, but more intelligent, understandable and fundamentally more human.
The project begins with a simple observation: public administration is traditionally organised around applications rather than human needs.
A citizen applies for Situation A. The authority assesses Situation A. Regulations are checked, documentation is examined and eventually the citizen receives an answer: yes or no. But a rejection does not necessarily mean that the citizen's underlying problem cannot be solved.
The Better Way asks a second question: "If Situation A cannot be approved, what can we do instead?" The system can discover, for example, that although Situation A cannot legally be approved, Situation D could provide a better and entirely legitimate solution to the citizen's underlying need.
This seemingly small change represents a fundamental shift in public administration, from processing requests to solving problems.
AI as a Partner to the Public Servant
The Better Way is deliberately designed not to replace the public servant. The final decision remains human. Instead, AI performs much of the complex preparatory work surrounding a case. It can examine applicable regulations, identify relevant precedents, locate information across departments, detect missing documentation, highlight inconsistencies and identify alternative public programmes or solutions.
It then presents these possibilities to the caseworker in a clear and structured form. The intention is to give public servants something increasingly scarce in modern administration, time to think.
By reducing repetitive searching, cross-referencing and administrative processing, AI allows the caseworker to concentrate on judgement, dialogue and the circumstances of the individual citizen.
From Gatekeeper to Guide
The project also proposes a different relationship between citizens and public authorities. Public servants frequently become involuntary gatekeepers of extraordinarily complex systems. Even experienced caseworkers cannot be expected to know every programme, regulation, exception and opportunity available across an entire public administration.
Artificial intelligence is particularly suited to navigating this complexity. The Better Way therefore transforms the role of AI from a decision-making machine into a navigation system for possibilities.
Instead of, “Your application has been rejected.” the authority might be able to say, “We cannot approve the solution you requested. However, we understand the problem you are trying to solve. There are two other possibilities available to you, and we believe one of them may suit your situation better.”
The difference is profound by using Human-Centered AI
The Better Way reverses one of the most common ambitions surrounding AI in government. Instead of asking, "How can AI enable public authorities to process more citizens?" The project asks, "How can AI enable public authorities to serve each citizen better?
