Abstract

A profound disruptive digital transformation in our society and economy are taking place worldwide, with governments, private enterprises, and the public demanding quicker access to real-time quality data for better decision-making and social good, an output that often goes well beyond traditional statistical production capabilities. Data Science can be described as extracting meaningful patterns from data using machine learning(ML), artificial intelligence(AI) and visualization methods. Data science and artificial intelligence(AI) have emerged as a very strong, visible, and publicly recognized label for problem solving, using large, ever-growing datasets and new data sources. Hence, the ability to incorporate data science and AI methodologies in the production of official statistics so as to benefit from emerging technologies such as web scrapping, data wrangling, cloud computing, machine learning algorithms etc. by national statistical organizations (NSOs) will become increasingly important in producing and disseminating official statistics in this era. However, the adoption of these technologies requires new knowledge, methodologies and the upgrading of the quality assurance framework, technology, security, privacy, and legal matters. Thus,this invited paper session aims to modernize the production of official statistics and enhance user experiences by leveraging advancements in data science and AI. It is structured around three core objectives: creating a repository of impact-full use cases in data science and AI for official statistics; exploring ways to enhance the dissemination of official statistics through data science and AI; and, addressing critical challenges such as data privacy, ethical AI practices, and cross-domain integration to improve stewardship and Trust.