Senior officials at the UK government’s tech department met with Google and Anthropic to explore the use of AI in public services as chancellor Rachel Reeves turns to automation to make the state more efficient.
Officials at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) met with Anthropic in mid-December to discuss “Anthropic’s work on agentic AI and its potential in public services,” according to transparency disclosures filed this week.
They also met with Google execs for a “chat on AI opportunities and technology in government,” as well as another meeting “exploring how AI is being applied to improve lives and drive positive change across the UK.” DSIT officials met with Google on at least eight occasions in the fourth quarter, the filings show — more meetings than for any other company.
One official also flew out to meet Google in October for a dinner and a “strategic dialogue,” at a cost of more than £6k to the taxpayer.
The filings shed light on which tech companies are likely to be the major beneficiaries from the government’s plan to roll out AI tools across public services, in a bid to make the state more efficient and help cut costs.
Google has already been a major investor in the UK, with plans to open a huge new office in Kings Cross within months as well as hiring hundreds more staff to bring its total UK headcount to over 7,400. The company’s main AI unit, DeepMind, is already headquartered in London.
On Wednesday, Rachel Reeves said she was bringing forward £3.25bn in investment for public services reform, with the first allocations going towards AI-powered tools for civil service efficiency, and advanced technology to modernise probation services.
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