The Department for Science, Technology and Innovation (DSIT) has pointed to 10 local authority AI projects to show what can be achieved with the technology.
It has highlighted solutions including AI enabled fridge sensors and kettles to support vulnerable people and online forms to identify which homes need larger black bins.
These are among a collection of projects for which details are provided in new transparency data published by DSIT.
The announcement has come soon after the prime minister said that developing new services with AI will be a priority for the public sector, and the department placed an emphasis on the technology in the new Blueprint for modern digital government.
DSIT highlighted an initiative by the London Borough of Sutton using AI enabled fridge sensors and connected kettled to detect changes in the daily routines of vulnerable people that could indicate a fall or decline in health.
The technology, develop by The Access Group, can spot changes in behaviour – like missed meals, a skipped cup of tea or whether a door has been left open for too long – before AI analysis is used to detect whether something might be wrong. An alert is then sent to close family members or carers.
Another initiative, from West Berkshire Council, uses a tool built in-house to take in information from an online application form – such as the number of people living in a home and the number of children in nappies – to automatically rule out people who might not be eligible for a bigger bin.
By speeding up the processing of requests, it makes sure families with newborns can get a bigger bin to handle the increased waste much more quickly. People whose applications are declined can still appeal the decision.
Shining examples
AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark said: “AI has immense potential to make our lives easier and improve public service. The technology we are together sharing with the public today includes shining examples of innovation that does everything from speeding up crucial applications for bigger bins to helping people live independently.
“Being transparent with the detail of how we are putting AI to work in public services is crucial to our plans to use technology to improve public services, which is a key part of our Plan for Change.”
The other projects are:
- Dorset City Council - Formulate for Adult Care estimates financially sustainable personal budgets for adults with eligible care and support needs.
- Camden Council – The RentSense AI Tool Pilot analyses council housing tenants' rent transactions to prioritise arrears cases for management.
- Ealing Council - Adult Social Care Annual Financial Expenditure Forecast to help in the allocation of budgets.
- Greater London Authority - London Building Stock Model 2 predicts missing information about London’s properties to help inform housing improvement programmes and decisions that reduce carbon emissions and energy bills.
- Social Care Wales - Qualifications Chatbot helps anyone with an interest in social care qualifications find appropriate qualification and information to work in the social care, early years and childcare sectors in Wales.
- Warwickshire County Council - Domestic EPC Estimates of domestic energy performance certificates of households that have a missing EPC.
- Barnet Counci - Ami Chatbot on its website.
- Bristol City Council - NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) assesses the risk of an individual becoming NEET to enable safeguarding professionals deliver timely and targeted interventions and support.
