Government announces blueprint for digital government
AI tools and data sharing to cut bureaucracy and boost productivity
In addition to targeting millions in productivity savings, the blueprint for digital change aims to cut out the feeling that you’re going into battle every time you interact with public services providers.
A government announcement has added some welcome detail to Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement of the AI Opportunities Action Plan to deliver improvements in public services by setting out its blueprint for digital government.
There are three planks of the blueprint.
A new package of AI tools – nicknamed ‘Humphrey’ in a reference to the character Sir Humphrey Appleby, from the eighties sitcom “Yes, Minister,” will be made available to Civil Servants to boost productivity and deliver better public services.
In addition to expanding the scope of digitisation of communications (the DVLA still processes 45,000 letters daily) the measures will extend to scrapping some in-person only processes, and modernising some of the more arcane aspects of government bureaucracy.
The government will also implement what it calls a more “common-sense” approach to sharing information between central government departments such as HMRC and the Department for Business and Trade and with local government.
The blueprint for digital government includes a plan to make the Government Digital Service (GDS) the lead body in shaping the digital centre of government, working with DSIT and encompassing the Central Digital and Data Office, the Incubator for AI and the Geospatial Commission.
The DGS will be accompanied by the creation of a Technical Design Council led by AI and data experts. The Council will examine the challenges blocking the application of technology to public services and have a remit to build services that make sense for the people who use them. It will begin by looking at services for people with long term health conditions or disabilities, who currently must interact with multiple local authority and healthcare bodies to manage their care.
Science, Technology and Innovation Secretary Peter Kyle said:
"Sluggish technology has hampered our public services for too long, and it’s costing us all a fortune in time and money. Not to mention the headaches and stresses we’re left with after being put on hold or forced to take a trip to fill out a form.
“My department will put AI to work, speeding up our ability to deliver our Plan for Change improve lives and drive growth. We will use technology to bear down hard to the nonsensical approach the public sector takes to sharing information and working together to help the people it serves.
“We will also end delays businesses face when they are applying for licenses or permits, when they just want to get on with the task in hand – growth. This is just the start.”
Introducing “Humphrey”
One of the more eye-catching aspects of the blueprint is Humphrey - a bundle of AI tools set to be made available to all Civil Servants soon, with some of the products included ready for use today. Use cases include that of consulting, which has been quite the money spinner for consulting and analyst sector, but a phenomenal – and growing - burden on the taxpayer.
‘Consult’ will analyse the thousands of responses any government consultation might receive in hours, before presenting policy makers and experts with interactive dashboards to explore what the public are saying directly. Consult is currently being tested on data from previous consultations.
The AI suite will also include tools to help policymakers sift and analyse decades of debate
from the Houses of Parliament, a secure AI transcription service and a generative AI tool designed specifically to help Civil Servants with day-to-day tasks, like summarising policy and preparing briefings.