In today’s digital-first world, citizens naturally expect that public services should be as quick and easy to use as their smartphone apps.
In Britain, we are at a turning point in our approach to artificial intelligence, particularly in the public sector. Governments are increasingly recognising that upgrading the ‘citizen experience’ by investing in cutting-edge technology will be vital to delivering tomorrow’s public services.
Earlier this year, in the Government’s new ‘AI Opportunities Plan’, the Prime Minister highlighted how AI tools can “transform” public services and deliver seamless experiences similar to how we manage money or book flights online. Most recently, the Prime Minister’s announcement to “reshape” the state offers a huge opportunity to reinforce the UK’s ambitions to be an AI leader across the public sector.
Group Vice President and GM, UK and Ireland, ServiceNow.
AI adoption starts now
At ServiceNow, we are working with hundreds of public sector bodies and can see how AI is already helping to cut through challenges, such as the 13.5 million hours doctors lose annually to outdated IT. Virtual assistants and advanced triaging systems are now helping to cut through the ‘8am rush’ to book a GP appointment. We are seeing similar impacts in other departments such as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
For public services, the impact of technology is not some futuristic fantasy: it is here, now, today. The key to implementing this successfully is partnerships between the public and private sector. The Government’s plan calls for the public sector to become a “great customer” of AI services. And yet analysis by GDS suggests that almost half of Government IT spend is dedicated to ‘keeping the lights on’ maintaining legacy systems. In the private sector, businesses are implementing AI to drive productivity and enhance the customer experience. It is vital that the public sector does so too.
Delivering for citizens
The first step for government is replacing patchwork legacy systems with an AI platform to speed innovation, scale business processes, and forge a solid foundation. Analysis by the Social Market Foundation suggests that at HMRC and the DWP alone, eight million hours of staff time could be saved every year by using technology to streamline routine tasks. Moving away from legacy systems, siloed departments and patchwork IT is also crucial to delivering citizen experience, making it easier to connect to government services.
Rather than waiting for working-hours call centers and having to work out who the ‘right’ department is to speak to, digital channels and generative AI are offering real-time answers to citizens. Not only that, but AI’s capacity also to process large stores of data are making digital services more effective and accessible.
AI in public service
Forward-thinking government organizations have already adopted generative AI to deliver better service for citizens, as well as increasing efficiency and offering instant access to data. Large Language Models (LLMs) trained on domain-specific data are already helping government organizations respond rapidly, either by empowering agents with the information they need which might previously have been inaccessible, or by offering citizens direct access to data.
The future of government
From managing risk to delivering improved citizen experience, cutting-edge technology is the key to overcoming many of the hurdles seen in previous government attempts at digital transformation. Ripping out the siloed legacy systems, which are all too often seen in the public sector and replacing them with a single AI platform connecting all data across the organization, will not only drive efficiency, but also pave the way for more wholesale innovation.
The addition of AI, and of its latest evolution with Agentic AI, is a stepping stone towards a new era of innovative, automated services – with citizens able to access personalized experiences, where and when they want.
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