Government ambitions to turn around public services using AI fraught with risk

An article in The Guardian reports that facing significant financial constraints, the UK government is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to reduce costs and improve public services. Jeegar Kakkad from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change argues that technology is the necessary solution for "broken" public systems unable to meet demand, rather than traditional approaches like increased funding or workforce expansion. Despite this, critics warn that Downing Street may be overly optimistic about the capabilities of AI technologies while ignoring the risks. The push to digitise, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, has encouraged close ties with major US tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, and Amazon. Kyle has stressed the government's commitment to enabling big tech firms to thrive in the UK, aiming to create a supportive environment.

However, integrating AI and automation into public services carries significant risks, especially seeing as people often interact with these services at their most vulnerable moments. Research by the Ada Lovelace Institute found that 59% of the public are concerned about AI assessing welfare eligibility, compared to 39% worried about facial recognition in policing. Public trust in private companies to deliver such technology is also notably lower than in government bodies, though the government is less trusted than academics and non-profits.

The Ada Lovelace Institute has urged MPs to review the influence of technology companies and their funded bodies in shaping the public sector AI narrative and to address potential conflicts of interest. They stress that the public expects transparency and prioritisation of people over profit in public sector AI, especially as AI is increasingly presented as a solution to various public sector problems. 

In related news, The Guardian reveals more than two dozen tech companies recently met with Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to propose solutions for the UK justice system's crisis. Ministers sought ideas for a "prison outside of prison" using wearable technologies, behavioural monitoring, and geolocation. Attendees included representatives from Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Serco, and various companies specialising in tagging and biometric technology.

Mahmood called for deeper government-tech collaboration to address prison capacity, reduce reoffending, and enhance community safety, urging companies to expand the use of tagging for rehabilitation purposes. Among the proposals included tracking devices under offenders' skin, containment robots, and driverless prisoner transport.

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