In a major speech, which included the abolition of NHS England, the prime minister once again stressed his ambitions for govtech, including targeted efforts to support the rollout of AI
Prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged to deploy tech experts to go “into every government department” to help drive the adoption of artificial intelligence and other innovations.
In a speech yesterday – setting out what Downing Street referred to as a “fundamental reform of the British state” – the PM suggested that, in delivering this transformation, “the good news is technology can massively help”.
He reiterated the findings of a government report published early this year which indicated that improving its use of tech, including AI, could provide Whitehall with tens of billions of pounds in cost reductions. Starmer added that AI will be key to delivering on this potential.
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“If we push forward with digital reform of government – and we are going to do that, we can make massive savings, £45bn savings in efficiency,” the PM said. “AI is a golden opportunity. You will already be thinking about how you use it in your work. That’s an opportunity we are determined to seize. So, we are going to get the best of best on AI working across government. I’m going to send teams into every government department with a clear mission from me to make the state more innovative and efficient.”
In a speech that included the landmark announcement that NHS England will be abolished, Starmer said that “I want to be really clear about this: it’s not about questioning the dedication or the effort of civil servants”.
“It is about the system that we’ve got in place,” he added. “That system was created by politicians. The buck stops with us.”
