A recent report assessing the UK government’s utilization of AI sheds light on opportunities to expedite its adoption and surmount obstacles hindering the transformation of public services, potentially resulting in billions of pounds in savings for taxpayers.

“The National Audit Office ‘value for money’ study is an important review of the opportunities and challenges of applying AI at scale,” the researchers explain. “It highlights priority areas for AI deployment and identifies the tensions between government teams focused on driving AI innovation and the range of compliance, reporting, assessment, and governance obligations typical of all public sector activities.”

Government readiness

Examining the government’s readiness to capitalize on AI opportunities, the report underscores that while interest and investment in AI are burgeoning, its deployment remains at an incipient stage.

Nevertheless, the report cautions that reaping the widespread benefits of AI demands more than just embracing new technology—it necessitates substantial shifts in organizational processes and workforce dynamics.

To fully realize these gains, the UK government must ensure that its AI adoption strategy is underpinned by a practical plan to modernize its aging IT infrastructure, address skills shortages, and enhance overall data quality, according to the report.

Survey findings revealed that AI deployment across government bodies is still relatively limited, with just over a third (37%) reporting active use of AI, typically in one or two applications. However, there’s a notable surge in AI activity, with nearly three-quarters (70%) of respondents currently piloting or planning AI initiatives, exploring an average of four use cases per body.

“This study into AI in the UK Government confirms what we’re seeing across much of our research into digital transformation at the Initiative for the Digital Economy at Exeter (INDEX)—achieving AI-at-scale requires finding ways to balance a wide range of competing concerns and requiring consistent cross-organization communication, extensive knowledge and asset sharing, and alignment of key roles and responsibilities,” the authors conclude.

“By effectively addressing these considerations, digital transformation in large, complex organizations can be brought more sharply into focus to achieve the potential offered by advances such as AI.”