UK tech leaders endorse AI for public sector modernisation

The UK's tech sector has responded to the Prime Minister's recent commitment to "reshape" the state, with industry leaders highlighting the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) for modernisation efforts.

ServiceNow's Group Vice President & General Manager UK & Ireland, Damian Stirrett, pointed out the significant potential for AI to streamline public services.

"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," Stirrett remarked.

He added that the private sector's experience shows AI-driven automation could reduce errors and enhance efficiency.

"Agentic AI is the new frontier, delivering predictability and efficiency across organisations. Investing and implementing Agentic AI will enable the civil service, and public state as a whole, to meet demands faster, smarter, and at scale," Stirrett added.

Echoing the theme of modernisation, Ian Jeffs, UK&I Country General Manager at Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group, recognised the government's efforts to integrate AI as essential for public sector efficiency.

"The UK Government's move to integrate AI into the civil service is a proactive step towards improving efficiency and modernising public services," Jeffs stated. He highlighted a significant increase in AI spending and stressed the importance of careful implementation to address challenges like staff training and data quality.

"For it to be considered a success, the UK Government must be proactive and implement impactful AI solutions that showcase ROI and turn words into actionable outcomes," Jeffs emphasised.

Rupal Karia, GM – UKI & MEA at Celonis, focused on the challenges associated with outdated processes within governmental systems. "Government systems are complex, with a lot of important information being shared between teams and across disparate systems," Karia said.

She advocated for the use of Process Intelligence platforms to create organisational coherence.

"We are excited to build on our work with the Cabinet Office to streamline its Shared Services for Government computer system which serves half a million civil servants," Karia asserted. Without such systems, she warned, the government might complicate rather than ease civil service tasks.

The comments from these experts demonstrate a broad consensus within the tech industry regarding the transformative potential of AI within public services, while also acknowledging the operational challenges that need to be addressed for successful implementation.