Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for adoption of artificial intelligence in the public sector.

AI and automation is a generational opportunity to drive public sector performance and productivity, with internal estimates suggesting adoption could generate £4.8bn in annual productivity gains in the Civil Service. Further savings are possible in wider public services such as Education, Health and Policing.

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) in the Cabinet Office has convened external experts and digital leaders across government to rapidly respond to developments in this area.

As part of the Government Roadmap for Digital and Data, the Government published our commitment to systematically track opportunities arising from emerging technologies, with a special focus on enabling departments to make confident and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence to improve efficiency and services.

CDDO is also working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the new i.AI team, furthering knowledge sharing through cross-government communities of practice.