The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced the first run of its AI Accelerator Programme, setting out to upskill public sector data scientists into machine learning engineers.
It said the first tranche of 25 technical experts from central government and devolved administrations will join the 12-week programme before returning to their departments with skills to build AI tools.
This marks an early step in the implementation of the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government that was published in January. It includes a plan to double the number of digital experts in government departments in the effort find £45 billion in productivity savings from AI and digital technology.
Great potential
AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark said: “We have started to build generative AI chatbots to change how people interact with the state, AI helpers to put an end to the mindless hours we spend on hold waiting for someone to pick up the phone, and tools to help get the views of citizens on policy proposals much more quickly – but AI can help with so much more.
“There is no reason people shouldn’t expect the same experience from public services, as they get from the most innovative businesses. By building AI skills across government, we’ll be able to deliver just that – all while finding efficiencies and transforming services to deliver our Plan for Change.”
A data scientist from the UK Health Security Agency starting the AI Accelerator Programme said: “There is so much potential to use AI to improve how we work in my agency and in healthcare more widely. The programme will help me understand what we need to think about when building AI in the public sector, including how to manage data safely and be transparent in our work.”
The DSIT said there will also be participants from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Ministry of Justice, Welsh Government and Scottish Government, and that it will include a major component focused on the ethics of AI.
The programme is being delivered with Decoded, a training company that specialises in building AI skills.
