The UK government has announced a £32 million investment in artificial intelligence (AI) innovations to transform public services and improve productivity. The initiative targets critical areas such as reducing train delays, speeding up NHS prescription deliveries and training construction workers.
In total, 98 projects have been selected to receive a share of the funding, benefiting 200 businesses and research organisations across the UK. These projects, spread across the country, are supported by the UKRI Technology Mission Fund and Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme, underlining the government’s commitment to positioning AI at the forefront of productivity improvements.
Feryal Clark, Minister for Digital Government and Artificial Intelligence, said: “Artificial intelligence will deliver real change for workers across the UK, not only by growing our economy but also by improving our public services. Our support for initiatives like this is crucial, as it supports a range of projects that could reduce train delays, provide new ways to maintain our vital infrastructure and improve the patient experience by streamlining prescription deliveries. Our aim is for technology to drive growth and deliver change across the board, and I am confident that projects like these will help us achieve that ambition.”
Michael Thornton, Director of Public Services at Investigo, echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of investing in public services to drive efficiency and economic growth. He noted: “Investment in public services is essential to drive efficiency and economic growth, whether it’s AI, policy or people. We’ve seen the beginning of AI’s dominance in automating private sector processes, so it’s time to see similar investment in the public sector to improve areas such as planning and data analytics to deliver better public services.”
Thornton also highlighted the need for specialist AI skills within the public sector, advocating for the training and upskilling of existing staff to ensure effective project delivery. “Much of the public sector’s work is done on a project basis, such as the 98 funded projects, so it is important that government prioritises investment in staff with specialist AI skills, while training and upskilling existing staff to ensure smooth delivery. Taking a smart approach to interim staffing versus consultancy staff can enable departments to streamline skills within their teams for each project, streamlining service delivery while reducing costs,” he added.
The newly announced funding targets solutions within “high-growth” industries, ensuring that AI is essential to increasing productivity and efficiency in key economic sectors.
