The UK government is advancing its artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, undeterred by concerns about a potential market bubble surrounding this rapidly evolving technology. In a bid to streamline regulations and foster innovation, the government is endorsing AI “sandboxing” and a variety of projects aimed at reducing bureaucratic obstacles.
Recent estimates suggest that the adoption of AI tools within the civil service could lead to a remarkable saving of approximately 75,000 days of manual work each year. While some reports indicate a mixed landscape regarding the effectiveness of AI investments, with findings suggesting that AI chatbots may lead to increased workloads for users, others, such as the Lloyds Banking Group, assert that employees can save an average of 46 minutes daily with the aid of Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Despite mixed feedback, the UK government remains optimistic that AI can play a pivotal role in alleviating fiscal pressures. This week, it unveiled a substantial £8.9 million investment through the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), aimed at supporting projects that engage directly with regulators to identify and eliminate unnecessary red tape. The funding will be distributed among 15 projects, with individual allocations ranging from £100,000 to £1 million.
One notable project includes a £1 million investment for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to develop AI assistants intended to enhance the efficiency and consistency of clinical trial assessments. Additionally, the British Board of Film Classification is set to receive nearly the same amount to create an AI solution for age classification of on-demand video content. Furthermore, the Milton Keynes Council has been awarded £781,817 to pilot the licensing of robots for cleaning and de-icing pavements.
The government has also introduced the concept of AI sandboxing, which would allow companies to temporarily suspend specific regulations during controlled testing phases. This initiative is designed to provide a safe environment for experimentation with AI technologies.
This push towards AI adoption follows a separate study released earlier this month, which highlighted that the adoption of an AI tool designed for analyzing feedback from government consultations could save 75,000 days of manual effort annually. Part of the “Humphrey” suite of AI tools, the Consult tool was successfully trialed by the Independent Water Commission (IWC), where it processed over 50,000 consultation responses in just two hours, a task that would typically take human workers 22 hours.
Ian Murray, the digital government minister, emphasized the potential for AI to enhance public service efficiency. He stated, “By taking on the basic admin, Consult is giving staff time to focus on what matters – taking action to fix public services. In the process, it could save the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
As the UK prepares for a challenging Autumn Budget next month, Rachel Reeves, the finance minister, will have to navigate a strained public purse, facing unpopular tax increases and rising debt levels. However, experts have cautioned that the government”s ambitious goal of saving £45 billion through AI applications lacks clarity and relies on broad assumptions, which may present risks for future fiscal planning.
