The Power of AI in the Public Sector: Partnering for Scaled Success

AI is already changing the way government works. From predicting demand on public services to improving access to information, artificial intelligence is enabling smarter, faster, and more efficient delivery across the public sector.

But to fully realise its potential, the UK must move beyond pilots—and into scale. That requires bold leadership, agile thinking, and deeper collaboration between government and industry.

In this blog, we explore how AI is already being used in departments like the DWP, MoD and HM Treasury—and how industry can play a pivotal role in supporting government to fast track adoption, responsibly and effectively.

AI in Action: Transforming Government Services

These use cases demonstrate how AI can help government deliver more services without increasing spending—making smarter use of existing budgets, infrastructure and data.

Why Now? From Pilot to Scale

The UK government has launched a range of AI pilots across departments in recent years. But pilots alone won’t deliver transformational outcomes. To unlock AI's full potential, public services must scale these efforts across domains, organisations and geographies.

This is no small task. Departments face real challenges—legacy systems, data fragmentation, limited in-house expertise, and public concerns around transparency and ethics. Nevertheless, Labour’s government has committed to utilising AI and technology to expand on citizens services and reduce borrowing.

How Industry Can Support AI Adoption at Scale

Real-World Impact: Benefits for Citizens and Civil Servants

The benefit of AI isn’t just better backend systems—it’s a better experience for the public.

At the same time, civil servants are freed from repetitive tasks and empowered with better tools to do their jobs—reducing burnout, improving morale, and enhancing delivery.

What Success Looks Like: A Shared Mission for Scaled, Responsible AI

A successful AI-enabled public sector isn’t defined by the volume of models deployed—it’s measured by outcomes for people, and value for the taxpayer.

For Citizens: Simpler, Smarter, More Personalised Services

AI should make people’s interactions with government easier, not more complicated. Success means citizens can:

For example, AI-driven triage in local government could route housing or social care cases to the right team instantly reducing delays for vulnerable people. In the NHS, generative AI tools might help patients understand follow-up instructions or symptoms in plain English. In education, automated systems could ensure eligible families don’t miss out on school meal subsidies.

That’s success: services that feel as intuitive and responsive as the best digital experiences in the private sector—yet are fair, accessible, and public in spirit.

For Civil Servants: Empowerment, Not Replacement

AI should not be seen as a replacement for public servants, but a force multiplier. A successful future is one where:

This is already happening in pockets. In HMRC, automation supports fraud detection; in DWP, AI helps flag high-risk claims for human review. The next phase is ensuring these tools are safely and equitably rolled out across the whole workforce—supported by strong ethical frameworks and continuous feedback loops.

For Government: Scalable Efficiency and Better Policy

AI offers not just cost savings, but the chance to redesign service models around insight, foresight, and impact. In a fully AI-enabled government:

It’s not about technology for its own sake—it’s about how AI can support better, faster, and fairer government.

For the UK: A Global Leader in Ethical AI Use

Finally, success means positioning the UK as a world leader in the responsible and innovative use of AI in the public sector.

With the right frameworks—such as the UK AI Regulation White Paper, CDDO’s roadmap for data and digital transformation, and cross-government AI assurance standards—the UK can export not just AI technology, but governance models that others want to emulate.

This means being bold on innovation, but clear-eyed on risks. It means open collaboration between departments, regulators, academia, and the tech ecosystem. It means investing in both the tools and the people who use them.

In short: success means citizens benefit, civil servants are empowered, departments deliver more for less, and the UK sets the global bar for trustworthy AI.

This is within reach—but only if government and industry move forward together, at speed, and with purpose.

Central Government Programme activities

The techUK Central Government Programme provides a forum for government to engage with tech suppliers. We advocate for the govtech sector, evangelise tech as a solution to public sector challenges, facilitate market engagement, and help make the public sector an easier market to operate in. Visit the programme page here.