- Coders and tech engineers have saved almost an hour a day by
using AI assistants
to help them write code and build new technology.
- More than 1,000 tech experts used the assistant across 50
different government departments – driving productivity through
the Plan for Change.
- Follows the government pledging to save time on things that
AI can do better and
more quickly, in bid to find £45 billion efficiency savings from
technology and AI
across the public sector.
AI assistants are
saving government coders the equivalent of 28 working days a year
- almost an hour every day - according to new trial results.
The boost in efficiency from this AI has meant that more than
1,000 developers were able to build more tech like the
Whitehall's Humphrey AIassistant, healthcare tech and
more – helping to improve public services and boost productivity
as part of the Plan for Change.
Ultimately, the AI
assistants could help the government build the technology it
needs more quickly, targeting a £45 billion jackpot in savings to
the taxpayer by making the public sector more efficient.
The time savings from the AI assistants mostly came from
using them to write first drafts of code that experts then edit,
or using them to review existing code. Only 15% of code generated
by the AI coding
assistants was used without any edits – showing that engineers
were taking care to check and correct AI-generated code where needed.
Technology Minister said:
For too long, essential public services have been slow to use new
technology – we have a lot of catching up to do. These results
show that our engineers are hungry to use AI to get that work done more
quickly, and know how to use it safely.
This is exactly how I want us to use AI and other technology to make
sure we are delivering the standard of public services people
expect – both in terms of accuracy and efficiency. With a £45
billion jackpot at stake, it's not an opportunity we can pass up,
as it can help cut backlogs and save money.
Developers and engineers
across 50 government departments trialled AIcoding assistants from
Microsoft, GitHub Copilot, and Google, Gemini Code Assist.
The trial found widespread satisfaction with the tools among
coders, with 72% of users agreeing they offered good value for
their organisation. Over half of participants - 58% - said they
would prefer not to return to working without AI assistance, whilst 65%
reported completing tasks faster and 56% said they could solve
problems more efficiently.
President of Google Cloud EMEA, Tara Brady,
said:
We are thrilled to see the positive impact Gemini Code Assist has
had on government developers, enabling them to accelerate
innovation and deliver better public services more efficiently.
This landmark trial, the largest of its kind for Gemini Code
Assist in the UK public sector, underscores the transformative
potential of AI in
enhancing productivity and problem-solving for coding
professionals, and highlights the successful collaboration
stemming from Google Cloud's Strategic Partnership Agreement with
the UK government.
This trial forms part of the government's broader artificial
intelligence strategy to increase AI adoption across the public
sector, ensuring Britain remains at the forefront of
technological innovation whilst delivering tangible benefits for
citizens through improved government services.
Notes to editors
