Today’s announcement from the Prime Minister that the U.K. Government will be investing heavily in AI tools to improve the productivity, efficiency and better use of taxpayers money got me thinking about what will be the result of this. On the face of it this sounds like a really positive step, but the heavy use of AI tools by a government to improve efficiency and outcomes in its departments could have significant effects. The government has targeted growth as the driver of fixing the British economy which is currently running at in excess of 100% Debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which was just 70% in 2010. Here’s a pros and cons summary from the articles I’ve been reading today:

1. Increased productivity and cost savings: AI could automate many tasks, potentially saving millions of labour hours and billions in annual costs. This could allow Civil Service and government workers to focus on more important tasks and provide services to the public faster.
2. Improved public services: AI could enable personalised, predictive, and preventive services in areas like education, transport planning, and firefighting (topical with Los Angeles fires & Grenfell relevant), leading to better outcomes and higher productivity for citizens and private companies.
3. Enhanced decision making: AI could improve governmental decision making and public service delivery by incorporating intelligent data analysis into organisational strategies.
4. Economic benefits: Research suggests AI could boost productivity by up to 1.5 percentage points per year, potentially worth an average of £47 billion to the UK economy annually over a decade. The U.K. has poor productivity compared to other countries so these improvements are vital to our growth objectives and to significantly improve within the election cycle.
5. Challenges in implementation and inertia: There’s a need to develop AI expertise among government workers and address potential negative mindset from users. Effective policies and regulatory frameworks are crucial to ensure responsible AI deployment and mitigate risks.
6. Potential for job losses: While AI could create efficiencies, it may also lead to job losses in the civil service, requiring careful management and alternative career initiatives.
7. Government responsibility: Secretaries of State are responsible for policy and outcomes good and bad. Decisions made by AI must be justified on a social and finance level.

My verdict.

Obviously in toto the idea is a no-brainer, but while AI presents significant opportunities for improving government efficiency and service delivery, it also introduces many complicated challenges that require careful consideration and management. The human face of the Civil Service is here for a while at least.