[Testimonial] Understanding digital governance beyond theory

A journey at the crossroads of political science and digital issues

At 22 years old, Juliette Bourgade is pursuing a path focused on political and digital challenges. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, Political Science and International Relations at the Institut Catholique de Paris, she joined ESPOL’s Master’s programme in Digital Politics and Governance to deepen her understanding of how digital transformations are reshaping the way our societies function and how public policies are designed.

An internship at the heart of public-sector AI challenges

As part of her Master’s programme, Juliette completed an internship at the DTNUM (Digital Transformation Department) of the French Ministry of the Interior. She discovered this opportunity through the pass.fonction-publique.fr platform and was immediately drawn to the missions offered, which were directly connected to her area of specialisation.

Within the DMIA (Ministerial Delegation for Artificial Intelligence), a two-person team attached to the department responsible for the digital governance of major projects, Juliette worked on several topics related to artificial intelligence and its integration within public administration.

Concrete missions focused on AI and its uses

Her main mission was to support public agents in developing their understanding and skills regarding AI tools.

“Our main role is to help raise awareness among internal staff, by making the use of AI tools more accessible, whether in their daily lives or in their professional activities.”

The team also contributes to discussions around the challenges, opportunities and best practices related to artificial intelligence within the Ministry, while highlighting internal AI initiatives.

“We are here to support discussions around the challenges, opportunities and uses of AI. We also promote internal tools, whether they are governance tools, sovereign AI solutions, or the different initiatives developed around these topics. This also involves projects such as drafting a responsible AI use charter and creating a map of AI projects carried out within the Ministry.”

A hands-on experience combining politics and technical understanding

What particularly stood out for Juliette during her internship was the opportunity to approach digital issues from a more concrete and technical perspective. Through this experience, she became familiar with new technical terminology, worked alongside technical teams and interacted with private companies presenting their digital solutions.

“I am delighted because I was able to specialise further in this technical dimension of understanding digital issues, bringing together two different worlds: politics and technology.”

This experience confirmed her interest in digital governance issues and encouraged her to continue pursuing this path.

A growing interest in digital issues developed throughout her studies

Juliette’s interest in artificial intelligence and digital challenges was not initially planned as part of her academic journey.

“It happened somewhat by chance. Through political science and international relations, I knew I was in the right field, but I was still struggling to find my specialisation. I have always been interested in political communication, speeches, changing trends and the evolution of communication methods in today’s world. That is how I came across ESPOL’s Digital Politics and Governance Master’s programme, and everything suddenly made sense, because political communication is also part of the transformations brought about by digital technologies and new tools. I found myself exploring both political communication and discovering this entire dimension of digital issues, which perfectly reflects today’s world.”

Joining the Digital Politics and Governance Master’s programme at ESPOL allowed her to discover a field that she now considers one of the major topics shaping contemporary geopolitics.

What comes next? A career path still taking shape

Regarding the next steps in her career, Juliette remains open to the different opportunities that may arise:

“I really enjoy working in the public sector because I care about contributing, on my own scale, to strengthening France’s digital sovereignty. However, I am also considering starting my career in the private sector, for example as a consultant supporting public-sector organisations, or specialising in the digital transformation of administrations, while remaining aligned with the ethical principles that matter to me.”

Her goal is to continue developing in an environment that combines technological innovation, responsibility and the public interest.

Exploring digital issues to better understand the world around us

For Juliette, these topics are now essential to understanding how our societies are evolving and the political challenges we face today. In her view, we use digital tools every day without always fully understanding how they work or what impacts they may have.

“I like to say that a smartphone is the biggest spy device that exists in the world.”

She highlights the importance of developing a more critical perspective on our digital habits: accepting cookies, sharing data or using applications have become everyday actions, even though we do not always fully understand their implications.

Juliette also points out that artificial intelligence is not a new topic: it has existed for many years and is already integrated into many technologies we use daily.

“It is interesting to specialise in AI and understand how it actually works, because today’s world is highly digitalised. We might as well prepare ourselves for its potential consequences.”