‘Out of date’ tech and ‘poor quality data’ means gov AI shift is ‘for the birds’, report warns – UKTN

The government’s plan to rapidly integrate AI into public services is “for the birds” because of “out of date” technology and “poor quality” of data, a damning parliamentary report has found. 

Labour’s Plan for Change strategy hinges heavily on the idea that the public sector can provide better services cost-effectively by outsourcing work to automation. 

Every government department has been encouraged to explore ways that AI can improve services, often through pilots, such as a Gov.uk large language model chatbot. 

But this public AI transformation may have more roadblocks than previously thought, with the report by the Public Accounts Committee claiming that at every stage, progress has been slow, lacked transparency and held back by existing low-quality tech systems. 

The report noted that of the 72 “highest risk” legacy digital systems prioritised as part of the digital roadmap, 21 still lack remediation funding, while “long-standing” data quality and data sharing barriers persist. 

“Too few departments are reporting transparently on their algorithm–assisted decision making and DSIT must do more to demonstrate that its assurance of high–risk AI is robust,” the report said. 

These problems were, according to the committee, exacerbated by a “shortage of digital and data skills in government, an issue we have raised concerns about repeatedly in the past”. 

A survey of government bodies found that 70% identified difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff with AI skills. Last year, around half of roles advertised in civil service digital and data campaigns were unfilled.  

“Turning the monolith of both government departments and the wider civil service is, no doubt, an ambitious task,” said Fiona Ghosh, a partner at the law firm Ashurst. 

“The key focus should now be upskilling civil servants to understand the legal and compliance risk of what is coming down the road and ensuring wide scale dataset remediation as a matter of urgency.” 

UKTN has contacted DSIT for comment. 

Already have an account? Log in