Artificial Intelligence in Social Insurance: Administrative Promise, Legal Risk, and the Emerging Threat of Deepfake Fraud
TL;DR
Evaluating the potential of AI in social insurance and to identify the conditions under which it can enhance institutional capacity without compromising legality, procedural justice, and public trust finds AI can enhance communication, case triage, document management, workload forecasting, and fraud identification.
Abstract
Introduction: Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in social protection administration for client service, back-office automation, fraud detection, and resource planning. However, its deployment also creates legal, organisational, and ethical risks, including biased assessments, opaque decision-making, exclusion of peoplein non-standard situations, and new forms of fraud involving deepfakes and synthetic identities.Aim: This article aims to evaluate the potential of AI in social insurance and to identify the conditions under which it can enhance institutional capacity without compromising legality, procedural justice, and public trust.Materials and methods: The study employs a narrative literature review combined with critical socio-legal analysis. It draws on research in public administration, social policy, law, AI ethics, the digital welfare state, fraud detection, deepfakes, and EU regulation, particularly Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI).Results: AI can enhance communication, case triage, document management, workload forecasting, and fraud identification. The most significant risks arise when systems influence entitlement, suspension, recovery, or fraud liability without adequate explainability, meaningful human oversight, and effective remedies.
