Artificial intelligence has been recognised globally as a key to unlocking impressive efficiencies and operational gains, both by organisations and individuals. In the public sector, AI can help transform public services. It can streamline processes and provide employees with more agency, freeing people up and saving team time. This means employees can use their time much more effectively. In fact, a recent trial of Microsoft’s Copilot across Whitehall, involving 20,000 civil servants over three months, found that AI can save officials an average of 30-minutes a day, amounting to nearly two weeks over an entire year. In such an important industry, such increases in productivity can have tangible impacts in driving growth and, ultimately, in enhancing the lives of citizens.
With such gains on offer, the UK government has made it clear how crucial it views AI readiness. The launch of its dedicated AI Opportunities Action plan at the start of the year stands out. The plan recognises how the public sector stands to benefit from using AI to remove repetitive, monotonous and time-consuming administrative tasks. A suite of AI solutions, labelled ‘Humphrey’, has been designed by the government to speed up work for civil servants. This is cutting the time spent on admin and reducing the money spent on contractors.
The UK government has identified data as a strategic asset; recognising that the foundation of AI is data. Data is the critical enabler of transformative technologies. It is how these advanced systems learn. It is also what they are trained on. Yet, the public sector will face many challenges when preparing data to fuel any AI ambitions due to legacy foundations and data siloes. This makes it extremely difficult for data, and by extension AI, to be properly maximised.
At NetApp, we know how AI needs reliable, secure data to fuel successful outputs. Unmanaged, disorganised and siloed data could limit the productive potential and cost cutting impact the UK government is keen to see from investments in technology and AI. Before the public sector becomes fully AI-ready, it must first become data-ready. However, several challenges concerning quality and security facing the sector’s data pool must be addressed first.
Siloes scatter unsecure data
To fully understand the extent of these challenges, firms must step back and evaluate their entire ecosystem. Why? Well, organisations will find it incredibly difficult to adopt AI with scattered and misplaced data across various sources and systems. Processes in the public sector are also often siloed, which has hampered technological adoption for several years. If AI is to succeed, it needs commonality and shared accessible data.
The first step of any project should be to identify and connect data, well before anything is processed. By understanding the full data landscape, organisations can better clean and organise data, and therefore ensure AI effectiveness. As part of the AI Opportunities Action plan, the UK government has committed to ”responsibly, securely and ethically unlock[ing] the value of public sector data assets” as part of a National Data Library.
On a sector level, this National Data Library will bring together widely available public data from different sources with the aim of training AI. It is essential to the sector accessing actionable insights from AI use. However, it is about both quality and quantity when it comes to data, and for the UK government’s AI ambitions to succeed, a robust data management strategy needs to be implemented as a priority.
Nothing underpins the urgency of this quite like the spate of cyberattacks we’ve seen recently in the UK on national retailers and public bodies. This highlights the importance of protecting data. MP’s fear that public sector departments are not prepared for attacks, worrying that the UK is not equipped with effective recovery strategies.
As public bodies ramp up data sharing and data collection in a bid to fuel AI and analytics tools, it is imperative that this data is protected properly. Not only will it help avoid possible cases of data poisoning, but it also prevents the extreme case of irrecoverable sensitive data loss.
The signal for AI readiness from the UK government relates to a need for and recognition that data should be driving activity across the sector. It is not just processes that are siloed, it is crucial data that is unable to be safely shared or utilised across departments.
On top of this, data challenges cannot be overlooked. The UK government risks promoting and implementing limited AI models, if the data they’re relying on is unprepared and unprotected. What should be “informed” data driven decision making risks becoming “somewhat accurate” data driven decision making. The right approach to data will either make AI a success, or will quite literally break it.
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.
AI in central government: trends and opportunities
AI adoption across central government departments, agencies and arm's-length bodies. Where it's happening, how it's being implemented, and what it means for suppliers.
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.
