AI and the UK’s public sector: A blueprint for global leadership

The British government has bold ambitions to revolutionise public services using artificial intelligence (AI): the AI Opportunities Action Plan. Unveiled this year, it offers 50 recommendations to position the UK as a global leader in AI, including the transformation of public services through the use of AI. However, many challenges remain before the public sector can truly reap the benefits of this transformative technology.

For public sector organisations, legacy systems, paper-based records and data silos all too often make it difficult to modernise. A report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) this year found that almost a third of central government systems are identified as ‘legacy’. Cabinet Office research also suggests that around 50 percent of public sector IT spend goes on maintaining these systems.

Beyond high expenses, outdated systems block access to the public sector’s rich stores of data, hindering progress towards data-driven and AI-enhanced approaches. For public sector organisations, having data to hand is the first step towards better, data-driven decisions and improved ways to work, providing a stepping stone towards a brighter, AI-powered future for Britain’s civil servants to deliver improved services to citizens.

How AI can transform the public sector

At present, AI is not widely used in government. According to a report by the National Audit Office, 70 percent of government departments are planning or piloting AI projects. Across the public sector, AI offers tremendous opportunities and has huge promise to improve efficiency, enhance decision-making and offer more personalised and responsive public services. AI can deliver insights on everything from medical conditions to academic research, making organisations more efficient and also driving smarter policy-making and even quicker crisis response. For government organisations, simplifying data architectures offers a huge opportunity, whether this is in organising years of weather data, or taking control of public transport systems. By shifting towards a cross-cloud data platform, public sector organisations can drive data-informed decisions, enabling data-sharing and driving better outcomes for citizens.

For example, in weather forecasting, the Met Office has switched to a less siloed approach that has meant that it can share data more easily with the NHS to research links between weather and health, and is also experimenting with AI to deliver text-based forecasts based on the Met Office’s rich store of data. The impact of modernising its approach to data has been rapid and measurable, with a return on investment (ROI) of nineteen to one for the UK taxpayer. The benefits and potential benefits span multiple sectors, such as being able to predict and mitigate the impact of weather on services, or helping emergency services to reach the scene of an accident on time.

The public sector silo challenge

Public sector organisations need to start the process of modernisation with a look at their data acquisition and data management, and make a concerted effort to break down data silos. When data remains locked in silos, organisations will spend most of their time and resources on the efforts to join those silos together and shift data between them. Siloed data also means that datasets are not always correct, relevant or consistent when they are needed for analysis, potentially robbing organisations of valuable insights.

With public sector organisations routinely dealing with highly confidential information, security is rightly a top concern, and fears over loss of control of data can hold back attempts to modernise. Secure, cloud-based data-sharing can allow government institutions to retain control of their data, and be confident about its security. This enables departments to collaborate seamlessly with others, sharing critical insights that might previously have been locked away.

The other major issue is that public institutions are often buried in paperwork, meaning physical A4 paper has to be scanned laboriously before data can even be analysed. To take one example, the NHS is working through huge numbers of patient files stored on paper and amassed over decades to make them easier to access, but the task is vast. AI tools such as document analysis software can help speed up this process, and consolidate data in one place, freeing up workers to deal with other challenges. These challenges are very real, but grappling with them paves the way for AI tools to revolutionise public services in Britain, as well as increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

Why cloud matters

Cloud-based AI solutions allow multiple different organisations (or parts of the same organisation) to access data securely, in a safe and compliant way via the same cloud. This means that government organisations can maintain data privacy, while also allowing the right people access to data that can drive new insights.

For example, the public rightly holds the NHS to a very high standard around data privacy and security. Today, NHS organisations are moving towards data-sharing across NHS trusts, with partners and other care providers in the UK. Opting for cloud-based systems means that NHS organisations can manage data governance and sovereignty while also complying with privacy requirements, but at the same time making it simple and secure to share data when needed. This means that the NHS can enjoy the fruits of data collaboration across the life sciences ecosystem, using data to advance medical research and drive innovations that can save lives.

Delivering innovation

Public sector systems will benefit from the innovation boost that AI can provide, in everything from healthcare to academia. There are many challenges along the way: dealing with paper-based records alone is an epic task, and breaking down siloed systems which have been in place for decades is also an enormous challenge. But moving beyond such legacy systems and towards a cloud-based future will be what enables Britain to truly fulfil the promise of the Government’s AI plans, and deliver for citizens. Tackling these issues will be the public sector’s most important challenge, and will be a vital first step towards delivering public services fit for the twenty-first century.