Britain Plans To Use  AI To Run Public Services

The British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer,, says that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could provide a massive improvement to public services and save the British taxpayer £billions. 

In a speech setting out the government's plans to use AI across the UK to boost growth and deliver services more efficiently, Satarmer said the government had a responsibility to make AI "work for working people".

Recently, the government introduced its AI Opportunities Action Plan which is supported by leading technology firms, which have collectively committed £14bn towards various projects, which will create 13,250 jobs, according to government sources.

Now, in a speech in the the North Eastern city of Hull, Starmer spoke about how technology will bring about much-needed digital reform in government and make as much as £45 billion in government cost savings. 

The Prime Minister said the technology represents a massive golden opportunity for the government, enabling it to bolster efficiency across a wide range of services. Starmer insist that jobs should not exist if AI technology can do them better.

He is hoping for a significant change in government operations, although his ministers have refused to set a target on how many jobs may be scrapped, his words suggest a potential major reduction. “You will already be thinking about how you use it in your work, and that's an opportunity we're determined to seize,” Starmer said.

“We're going to get the best of the best on AI working across government - I'm going to send teams into every government department with a clear mission from me to make the state more innovative and more efficient,” he added.

Starmer pointed to several example of where AI could help improve productivity and efficiency, including the automation of record-keeping in probation work. He noted that the same is true for planning applications, in which huge amounts of information need to be gathered, a task that can be completed more quickly through AI. The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of work training and apprenticeships, remarking on the importance of apprenticeship schemes and how they will bring people into the government who are skilled in AI and technology.
“We're bringing people in to do this, to transform the way that we do our business,” Starmer said.

Recently, the UK’s Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced a public sector funding reform that will aim to make the deployment of AI projects quicker and easier. One of the key objectives is a digitally connected health and care system that allows patient data to flow securely between IT systems, healthcare providers and other services.

The insights generated from this can be used to help refashion public services to the needs of populations, enable more targeted care and reduce unnecessary interventions.  It is hoped that real value of digital technology will  come not merely from digitising existing practices, but from using it to re-engineer them completely.

  • The views of welfare recipients are rarely included in the design of digital welfare solutions; they do not get the space to engage in a public debate where they can scrutinise and deliberate on them. We need more ways to include these voices and to learn from them what ‘good’ might look like.
  • These considerations do not just apply in Europe; as social protection systems are digitised around the world, governments need to engage with citizens to ensure systems are built to meet the needs of the most socially marginalised communities who are less likely to have the digital access and skills necessary to engage with digital services.
  • Digital welfare platforms in the UK and Scandinavia offer improved internal operations but can seem exclusionary and opaque to those accessing them to claim their right to social assistance. These systems need changes underpinned by a commitment to ensuring that the broader digital welfare ecosystem works to deliver entitlements to those in need with dignity and respect.

The Science, Innovation & Technology secretary Peter Kyle has said he often uses ChatGPT to help him  understand the broader context where an innovation came from, the people who developed it, the organisations behind them. “ChatGPT is fantastically good, and where there are things that you really struggle to understand in depth, ChatGPT can be a very good tutor for it.” Kyle said.

According to one report, Kyle asked the AI chatbot why small- and medium-sized businesses had been so slow to take up AI. The chatbot replied: “While the UK government has launched initiatives to encourage AI adoption, many small businesses are unaware of these programs or find them difficult to navigate. Limited access to funding or incentives to de-risk AI investment can also deter adoption.”

In comment, the film director and member of the House of Lords, Beeban Kidron, who is leading opposition to the government’s AI copyright plans, said: “I am a bit worried that the science and innovation department is bedazzled with technical developments and not doing enough to protect UK democratic and economic interests.”

Gov.UK   |   Gov.UK   |   Gov.UK   |   Guardian   |   BBC   |   Verdict   |    IDS   

Image: Ideogram

You Might Also Read: 

UK vs. US: The Artificial Intelligence Landscapes Compared:


If you like this website and use the comprehensive 7,000-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.

  • Individual £5 per month or £50 per year. Sign Up
  • Multi-User, Corporate & Library Accounts Available on Request

Cyber Security Intelligence: Captured Organised & Accessible


 


 

« Cybercrime Exploits Slave Labour
Hidden Risks In The The Global Supply Chain »

ManageEngine
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

TÜV SÜD Academy UK

TÜV SÜD Academy UK

TÜV SÜD offers expert-led cybersecurity training to help organisations safeguard their operations and data.

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North IT (North Infosec Testing) are an award-winning provider of web, software, and application penetration testing.

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout enables cyber security professionals to reduce cyber risk to their organization with proactive security solutions, providing immediate improvement in security posture and ROI.

Stratogent

Stratogent

Stratogent does IT and Cybersecurity operations. We specialize in high-touch and high-change IT environments, especially in the biotech and pharma industry verticals.

ISACA Conferences

ISACA Conferences

ISACA is dedicated to offering the most dynamic and inclusive conferences to keep you abreast of the latest advances in IT and Information Security.

Shift Technology

Shift Technology

Shift Technology provides insurance companies with an innovative SaaS solution to improve and scale fraud detection.

Salt Security

Salt Security

Salt Security protects the APIs that are the core of every SaaS, web, mobile, microservices and IoT application.

Tier1Asset (T1A)

Tier1Asset (T1A)

T1A is Europe’s leading IT refurbisher. We offer certified data erasure using blancco on site and at our facilities, providing environmentally sound disposal of your used equipment.

Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet

Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet

Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet is a network of companies who collaborate to address skills needs within the technology sector.

SimSpace

SimSpace

SimSpace is the visionary yet practical platform for measuring how your security system responds under actual, sustained attack.

Neovera

Neovera

Neovera is a trusted provider of managed services including cyber security and enterprise cloud solutions, committed to delivering results through the innovative use of scalable enterprise-grade tech.

Northcross Group (NCG)

Northcross Group (NCG)

NCG provides services to help organizations meet the challenges of regulatory compliance. Our services include support, consultation, tools and accelerators for all parts of an organization.

Tapestry Technologies

Tapestry Technologies

Tapestry Technologies supports the Department of Defense in shaping its approach to cybersecurity.

Fenix24

Fenix24

Fenix24 is an industry leader in the incident-response space. We ensure the fastest response, leading to the full restoration of critical infrastructure, data, and systems.

DART Consulting & Training

DART Consulting & Training

DART is a leading cyber training and consultancy company. We enhance our clients’ cyber capabilities by growing and strengthening their frontline defense – the cyber teams.

XBOW

XBOW

XBOW brings AI to offensive security, augmenting the work of bug hunters and security researchers.

HanaByte

HanaByte

HanaByte is a security consultancy focused on delivering state of the art solutions in the cloud. We specialize in delivering cloud services with an emphasis on security.

Corgea

Corgea

Corgea is AI-powered security platform that finds, triages and fixes your insecure code.

Elitery

Elitery

Elitery is an IT-managed service company that focuses on cloud and cybersecurity services.