Building trust and transforming public service with AI
Guest blog by Ali Bovis, Digital Advisor for Public Sector at Version 1 #techUKSmarterState
Ali Bovis
Digital Advisor for Public Sector, Version 1
For decades, the public's trust in government services has been on a slow decline. But a quiet revolution is underway, powered by artificial intelligence, that could finally reverse the trend. The IMF estimates that AI can boost productivity by up to 1.5 percentage points annually, potentially worth £47 billion to the UK over a decade. However, the public sector faces a fundamental challenge: the absolute necessity of trust.
Unlike private sector failures that cost revenue, AI failures in public services directly impact vulnerable citizens' lives. This demands a fundamentally different approach, one that prioritises responsible development and trust building as the foundation for expanded capability.
Establishing trust – The CAFCASS example
The UK ranks third in the Government AI Readiness Index, but ranking highly and successfully implementing AI responsibly are different challenges. CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) demonstrates how public sector organisations can harness AI's power whilst building essential trust.
CAFCASS faced a significant challenge: 1,500 Family Court Advisors supporting over 140,000 children annually, producing 80,000 letters monthly to help children understand complex legal processes. The opportunity was clear, but the imperative to implement safely was paramount. Getting communication wrong with vulnerable families was not an option.
Rather than pursuing ambitious transformation, CAFCASS chose a measured approach. Working closely with Family Court Advisors and in partnership with us, they co-designed AI-Scribe: a focused solution embedded directly into their ChildFirst case management system. This collaborative methodology was crucial, as involving practitioners from the outset addressed real needs whilst building user confidence.
AI-Scribe's capabilities were carefully scoped to deliver value whilst maintaining strict quality controls. The system automatically drafts communications from case data, adapts content to children's reading levels, translates into over 100 languages, and creates audio versions. Crucially, these capabilities operate within defined parameters, with human oversight maintaining ultimate responsibility.
The results demonstrate responsible AI implementation: AI-Scribe is estimated to save up to 60,000 advisor hours annually, all released back to frontline work. More significantly; it does this whilst providing clearer, more accessible communication that reduces stress for children and families.
Expanding capability through proven trust
AI-Scribe has started to establish crucial trust amongst advisors, management, and families. This foundation is proving invaluable as our team works with CAFCASS to explore new opportunities to improve.
Document summarisation represents one area of exploration. CAFCASS handles tens of thousands of cases annually, each supported by documents that can sometimes contain hundreds of pages. These often contain critical insights that require rapid understanding for case allocation and assessment planning.
We're also exploring digital genogram creation. Tools that visualise family networks and relationships. When social workers conduct direct work with children, they need child-friendly outputs that explain complex family relationships.
These represent just a few possibilities amongst many. The strong foundation established by AI-Scribe demonstrates a crucial principle: once trust is earned and foundations are in place, organisations can progressively add new AI capabilities to amplify their impact. Starting with focused, manageable challenges rather than attempting to solve complex problems immediately allows building confidence and expertise incrementally.
Realising AI's opportunities
PublicFirst highlighted 61% of public administration workers report increased overwork, with 70% saying morale has decreased. Meanwhile, two-thirds of managers agree AI will change public sector operations forever, but just 12% have significantly deployed AI tools. This gap represents both challenge and opportunity.
Our collaborative approach demonstrates sustainable AI implementation. The same principles that made AI-Scribe successful, collaborative design with practitioners, integration with existing systems, human oversight, and prioritising trust, are being applied to document summarisation and genogram creation.
Both capabilities can leverage the same secure, scalable AI infrastructure developed for AI-Scribe, with similar authentication, data handling, and quality processes. This exemplifies systematic capability building.
Building trust for transformation
Our journey with CAFCASS demonstrates that AI's power in public services extends beyond technology. It's about building sustainable trust that enables continuous innovation. By starting with focused, well-executed implementations, they've created the foundation for expanding AI capabilities whilst maintaining responsible approaches.
AI's opportunities are genuinely transformative. Beyond efficiency gains, AI can make public services more accessible, personalised, and responsive. From multi-language communications breaking down barriers, to intelligent document analysis surfacing critical insights, to automated processes freeing professionals for direct citizen engagement, the potential is extraordinary.
This partnership offers a blueprint for responsible AI implementation across the public sector. Rather than wholesale transformation, success lies in identifying specific, high-value use cases, implementing them with rigorous attention to user needs and safety, and using early successes to build trust for broader adoption.
Organisations that successfully harness AI's power will prioritise trust building alongside technological advancement. Through responsible, trust centred approaches like our partnership with CAFCASS, we can deliver better outcomes for citizens whilst building confidence to seize AI's full potential for public service transformation.
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Building the Smarter State is techUK’s flagship public services conference and the go-to event for public sector digital leaders. The annual event welcomes over 200 senior leaders and decisions makers from across the public sector and the technology industry to showcase how technology is shaping today's and tomorrow’s public services.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
Associate Director, Central Government and Education, techUK
Heather Cover-Kus
Associate Director, Central Government and Education, techUK
Heather is Associate Director, Central Government and Education at techUK, working to represent the tech supplier community to Central Government.
She started as Head of Central Government at techUK in April 2022 and was promoted to Associate Director in August 2025 supporting both the Central Government and Education programmes.
Prior to joining techUK in April 2022, Heather worked in the Economic Policy and Small States Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She led the organisation’s FinTech programme and worked to create an enabling environment for developing countries to take advantage of the socio-economic benefits of FinTech.
Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.
Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.
The programme represents the supplier community of technology products and services in Central Government – in summary working to make Government a more informed buyer, increasing supplier visibility in order to improve their chances of supplying to Government Departments, and fostering better engagement between the public sector and industry. To find out more about what we do, how we do this and how you can get involved – make sure to get in touch!
Prior to joining techUK, Ellie completed Sixth Form in June 2015 and went on to work in Waitrose, moved on swiftly to walking dogs and finally, got an office job working for a small local business in North London, where she lives with her family and their two Bengal cats Kai and Nova.
When she isn’t working Ellie likes to spend time with her family and friends, her cats, and enjoys volunteering for diabetes charities. She has a keen interest in writing, escaping with a good book and expanding her knowledge watching far too many quiz shows!
Junior Programme Manager - Central Government, techUK
Charles Bauman
Junior Programme Manager - Central Government, techUK
Charles Bauman is a Junior Programme Manager in the Central Government Programme at techUK.
He supports the programme’s mission to represent the technology supplier community to the UK government and advocate for digital innovation to address public sector challenges. Charles helps facilitate market engagement, foster partnerships, and ensure that tech suppliers and the government work collaboratively to improve outcomes, deliver value for money, and enhance public services for citizens.
Before joining techUK, Charles gained significant experience in research, analysis, and strategic advisory roles. At H/Advisors Cicero, he specialised in public affairs and corporate communications, while at Verdantix, he supported sustainability research and advisory projects, focusing on regulatory and environmental challenges.
Charles holds an MSc in Theory and History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an MA in Medieval History from King’s College London.
Charles enjoys volunteering with a think tank, reading, hiking, and spending time with his dog and family outside of work.
Programme Team Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK
Francesca Richiusa
Programme Team Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK
Fran serves as the Programme Team Assistant within techUK’s Public Sector Market Programmes, where she is responsible for delivering comprehensive team support, managing administrative functions, and fostering strong relationships with members.
Prior to joining techUK in May 2025, Fran built a meaningful career in the charitable and local government sectors. She worked extensively with both victims and perpetrators of crime, and notably led the coordination of Domestic Homicide Reviews across Surrey—an initiative aimed at identifying lessons and preventing future incidents of domestic abuse.
Outside of work, Fran is an avid traveller and a proud cat mum who enjoys unwinding with her feline companions.
