From Automation to Policy Intelligence: A Comparative Study of Generative AI in Public Governance in China and the United States

This study examines how generative artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming public governance, shifting from process automation to policy intelligence.By comparing China and the United States, the research analyses how different governance logics such as state-led centralisation and decentralised innovation shape AI adoption in public administration.A qualitative comparative case study was conducted using information from government reports, such as the US blueprint of AI bill of rights, think tank publications, and scholarly literature.The analysis applied thematic coding to trace trajectories of AI adoption, institutional roles, governance challenges, and strategic framings, interpreted through the frameworks of Digital Governance and Adaptive Governance.Both the countries have distinct ways to integrate AI in public governance.China has organised AI integration into government portals, legal framework, and intelligent cities with high-capacity state coordination and integrated implementation mechanisms.The United States has unstructured but creative uses, and integration occurs at the agency level, ethical protection, and labour reform.Ethical issues vary by context, and while privacy and datagovernance risks are on the agenda in China, bias and accountability are on the agenda in the United States.The article contributes to knowledge by drawing on the comparatively less explored paradigm of policy intelligence and presenting a comparative model that brings together structural integration and adaptive flexibility and their implications for international digital governance.