Early results of a landmark trial by the UK government has revealed civil servants can save up to two weeks of time they spend on administrative tasks if they use generative AI.
According to a government press release, more than 20,000 civil servants took part in the three-month trial and used AI tools to draft documents, summarise meeting notes and complete other daily tasks. Participants used Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant and said the technology saved them 26 minutes per day and “boosted their ability to deliver the Plan for Change,” the government initiative to digitalise workplaces.
The UK government has already revealed ambitious plans to save tens of billions of dollars by making greater use of advanced technologies such as AI co create a lean and modern state.
In April this year, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology wrote to MPs explaining that the £45 billion ($61 billion) saving target would be met by:
- Simplifying and automating delivery across the public sector – £36 billion ($49 billion);
- Migrating service processing to cheaper online channels – £4 billion ($5.4 billion); and
- Reducing fraud and error through digital compliance solutions – £6 billion ($8 billion).
Whilst welcoming the above details from the government, MPs also said they were “concerned that no time frame is given for achieving them, and that they are partially informed by extrapolations and assumptions.”
Ambition v caution
The government considers the trial a major landmark in its efforts to introduce technology across the UK civil service and to digitalize government operations. It says the results are “equivalent of giving 1,130 people a full year back – every year – to focus on higher-value tasks, innovation or public service impact, rather than admin-based work.”
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “AI is changing the way government operates, helping us work smarter, reduce red tape, and make better use of taxpayers’ money.”
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK said: “AI is the most transformative technology of our time and we’re already seeing its potential to reshape public service delivery.”
But the use of AI by civil servants has also drawn criticism from opposition MPs, who warn that the trial could potentially create a security risk.
Conservative MP Peter Bedford said last month: “The way AI works is it shares information with itself but can be used anywhere in the world. We need to be sure that sensitive information is not being input into AI and transmitted across the world.”
Other MPs have called the entire experiment ‘appalling’ and warned against trusting the technologies instead of basic human instinct and common sense.
Some experts also believe “that the technology still suffers glitches that may not make it suitable for official work,” as reported by the FT.
There are also fears about job cuts in the civil service as senior government officials confirmed earlier this year the introduction of AI into the workplace will lead to staff numbers being cut.
