Whitehall leans on AI to fix failing public services
The UK government is accelerating its use of AI across public services, as ministers look to modernise creaking systems, boost productivity and strengthen national security.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced a new cohort of British AI specialists who will spend the next year embedded in government.
They will be backed by a $1m contribution from tech titan Meta, and delivered through the Alan Turing Institute.
The intitiative forms part of a broader push to embed advanced tech in frontline public services.
The tech experts will work on open-source tools designed to tackle practical problems like building secure networks for use in defence and national security.
Ministers see the programme as a response to stubbornly weak public sector productivity, which means below pre-pandemic levels despite higher spending.
Official figures show productivity across state-run services is still around three per cent lower than in 2019, with healthcare particularly affected.
Integrating AI agents
Alongside the programme, DSIT has confirmed a new partnership with Anthropic to build an AI assistant for Gov.UK.
Powered by Anthropic’s chatbot, Claude, the assistant will initially focus on helping jobseekers by offering career advice, as well as guidance on various training options.
The project is set to follow the government’s “scan, pilot, scale” approach, with a limited rollout expected later this year before any wider deployment.
Anthropic engineers will work alongside civil servants and the Government Digital Service, with an emphasis on transferring skills so the tech can be maintained in house.
Ian Murray, minister for data and modern digital government, said the aim was to “rewire” public services.
“Having met the fellows I know they will play a pivotal role in re-wiring our healthcare, police, transport systems and more, to make sure hardworking people benefit from the opportunities that only technologies like AI can deliver”, he added.
Beyond employment services, officials are also testing how AI could simplify access to energy bill support and reduce repetitive form-filling.
This push shits within a wider digital agenda launched last year, which includes new teams like CustomerFirst, led by former Monzo executive Tristan Thomas, to cut waiting times across government.