Training course · Perplexity · Public Sector

Perplexity for the Public Sector

AI-powered research with Perplexity: cited answers, source control, Spaces, Deep Research and systematic fact-checking.

Duration
1 day (7 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

“Perplexity for the Public Sector” is designed for roles such as Caseworkers in federal, regional and local government, Managers of departments and public agencies and Digital transformation and e-government leads and shows step by step how to use Perplexity productively, safely and transparently in Public Sector – from the fundamentals to advanced workflows.

Perplexity combines language models with live web search and delivers answers backed by numbered citations. That makes it particularly suited to work where currency and traceability matter: market and competitor monitoring, research into regulation and standards, supplier and partner due diligence, or preparing decision papers. In this practical day you learn to phrase research questions precisely, steer the choice of sources deliberately and use follow-up questions to turn an initial answer into a robust research result.

You work with Spaces, where you group research on a topic, add your own files and set instructions for the team. With Deep Research you produce extensive reports that evaluate many sources and bring them together in a structured way. Quality is a key focus: you learn to assess sources, cross-check claims and recognise typical failure patterns such as outdated or misattributed information. We also address data protection and licensing questions for business use. You leave with a reusable research process tailored to your own function.

Public authorities and local councils face a double squeeze: the digitalisation of public services is accelerating while skilled staff are scarce and caseloads keep rising. Generative AI can noticeably relieve caseworkers – drafting decisions and replies to citizens, summarising submissions in public consultations, turning official language into plain language and preparing committee and council papers. AI assistants also help staff navigate legislation and administrative guidelines more quickly. At the same time, the public sector faces particularly high standards for lawfulness, transparency, data protection and IT security. Introducing AI means building approval rules, record-keeping duties and final human decision-making into the process from day one.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • Caseworkers in federal, regional and local government
  • Managers of departments and public agencies
  • Digital transformation and e-government leads
  • Staff in citizen service centres and contact centres
  • Committee and council secretariat staff

Typical challenges we address

  • Rising caseloads combined with staff shortages
  • Complex legislation and administrative rules that change frequently
  • Citizen communication that must be legally sound yet easy to understand
  • Media breaks between specialist systems, electronic files and paper records

What you will be able to do

  • You phrase precise research questions and steer the choice of sources deliberately.
  • You assess sources by origin, currency and reliability and trace claims back to the original.
  • You organise research in Spaces and combine web sources with your own documents.
  • You use Deep Research to produce structured reports and decision support.
  • Use AI lawfully for drafting, citizen communication and summaries.
  • Understand the limits of AI in discretionary decisions and design review and approval steps.
  • Identify processes in your department that are suitable for AI support and automation.

Course outline

Module 1 Foundations of AI-powered research
  • How it works: language model, live web search and citations
  • How it differs from a classic search engine and a general chat assistant
  • Framing research questions precisely: time frame, region, source type
  • Follow-ups and drilling down instead of one-off queries
Module 2 Steering and assessing sources
  • Narrowing sources: web, academic literature, your own files
  • Targeting primary sources, official websites and specialist publications
  • Assessing source quality: origin, currency, vested interests
  • Tracing quotes and figures back to the original source
Module 3 Spaces and teamwork
  • Setting up Spaces for topics, projects or client requests
  • Uploading your own documents and combining them with web sources
  • Storing instructions for consistent output formats
  • Sharing research and turning it into pages or reports
Module 4 Deep Research and structured reports
  • Tackling broad questions with Deep Research
  • Producing market overviews, competitor comparisons and topic briefs
  • Turning results into tables, side-by-side comparisons and executive summaries
  • Recognising the limits of in-depth research and refining results
Module 5 Fact-checking, data protection and workflow
  • Systematic fact-checking: counter-research and spotting contradictions
  • Typical failure patterns: outdated, misattributed or fabricated details
  • Data protection, enterprise licences and handling confidential queries
  • A reusable research process and source documentation
Module 6 Practice lab: Public Sector
  • Drafting decisions and letters
  • Answering citizen enquiries
  • Plain language and translation
  • Analysing public consultations
  • Committee papers and minutes
  • Preparing procurement documents
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • Administrative and citizen data is subject to the GDPR, national data protection law and, where applicable, social security or tax secrecy; AI may only be used in approved, secure environments and not for automated individual decisions without a legal basis. The EU AI Act, e-government legislation, procurement law and staff council participation must also be observed.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Drafting decisions and letters

Using standard clauses, the facts of the case and the relevant legal provision, AI drafts hearing letters, statements of reasons or requests for documents, which caseworkers review, adapt and sign off under their own responsibility.

Answering citizen enquiries

An AI assistant drafts replies to frequent enquiries by email or web form, points to the responsible office and online services and keeps a friendly, accessible tone.

Plain language and translation

Leaflets, form guidance and web content are rewritten in plain or easy-read language and translated into common languages, improving accessibility of public services. Technical terms are explained as well.

Analysing public consultations

Large numbers of submissions from citizens and statutory consultees are grouped by topic, summarised and transferred into a response table that serves as the basis for professional assessment.

Committee papers and minutes

AI helps structure decision papers, condenses expert reports into status updates and turns notes into structured minutes for committees and council meetings. Proposed resolutions are kept clearly separate from the facts.

Preparing procurement documents

Specifications, selection criteria and award matrices are pre-structured from requirement descriptions and checked for completeness; legal responsibility under procurement law remains with the contracting authority.

Prerequisites

Experience with online research in a professional context; no prior AI knowledge is required. Experience with administrative procedures and casework; no technical background required.

Technical requirements

A laptop with an up-to-date browser and a Perplexity account; we recommend Pro or Enterprise access to use Spaces with files and Deep Research in full.

Data protection & compliance

Administrative and citizen data is subject to the GDPR, national data protection law and, where applicable, social security or tax secrecy; AI may only be used in approved, secure environments and not for automated individual decisions without a legal basis. The EU AI Act, e-government legislation, procurement law and staff council participation must also be observed.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Tue, 24 November 2026 Online Request
  • Mon, 30 November 2026 Augsburg Request
  • Wed, 16 December 2026 Online Request
  • Mon, 11 January 2027 Kaiserslautern Request
  • Wed, 20 January 2027 Online Request
  • Wed, 3 February 2027 Bremen Request

Frequently asked questions

How does Perplexity differ from ChatGPT or a search engine?

A search engine returns a list of links, and a general chat assistant often answers from its training data. Perplexity searches the web at the moment you ask, summarises what it finds and backs each statement with citations. That makes it particularly well suited to current, verifiable research – although you still need to assess the sources yourself.

Can I rely on Perplexity's citations?

Citations make verification much easier, but they do not replace it. Occasionally a statement is attributed to a source that does not say quite that, or an outdated page is used. In the course you learn a lean fact-checking routine that lets you quickly verify critical statements against the original source.

Is Perplexity suitable for confidential research within a company?

Enterprise plans offer additional commitments on data use and administration. Even so, you should not put trade secrets or personal data into queries unless your internal policy explicitly allows it. We discuss how to phrase queries so that sensitive details stay protected while the research remains useful.

May a public authority produce decisions with AI?

AI may prepare drafts, but the decision and signature remain with the responsible officer. Fully automated administrative acts are only permitted with an explicit legal basis and no discretion involved. The course shows how to review AI drafts in a documented way to ensure lawfulness and traceability.

Which AI tools are suitable for public administration?

Suitable tools are those your organisation has cleared for data protection and security, such as AI assistants provided centrally by government IT or enterprise editions with EU data processing. The course is tool-neutral and teaches working methods that transfer to whichever tools are approved in your authority.

How much does “Perplexity for the Public Sector” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 1 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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