The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, , met with experts in artificial
intelligence (AI)
today (Wednesday 11 October) to discuss the technology’s
potential to drive public sector productivity in a safe and
secure way.
The Chancellor has been clear that public spending cannot
continue to outpace growth without people paying more in taxes.
To ensure this does not happen he has asked the Chief Secretary
to look at ways to boost public sector productivity. The Public
Sector Productivity Review will report in autumn.
Hosting a roundtable of academic and business leaders in the
Treasury, the Chief Secretary emphasised that the safe use of
AI can be a key
driver of productivity growth, saving taxpayers money while
improving public services – noting that in 90 per cent of stroke
units across England, cutting edge AItools are already supporting
clinicians to treat patients that present with stroke more
quickly, halving the time to get treatment and tripling the
chances of patients living independently following a
stroke.
The Chief Secretary listened to experts from academia and
industry to better understand how companies are already using
AI safely to benefit
their staff and consumers, including using it to improve customer
experiences and how the US Bureau of Labor Statistics has used
artificial intelligence to relieve employees of tedious and
repetitive tasks, saving staff 25,000 working hours.
The Chief Secretary asked for opinions on what would be required
to implement AI
safely and responsibly, noting the UK has attracted £18 billion
of private investment since 2016 and is third in the 2022
Government AIReadiness Index and highest in
Western Europe, but was placed tenth in the public sector
category.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury said:
“If we don’t make our public services more productive, we will be
trapped in an unsustainable cycle of spending
increases.
“Through the use of safe AI, we can unchain our nurses,
teachers, police officers and civil servants from time consuming
admin - freeing them up to help the taxpayer.”
The Chief Secretary also took part in Google Cloud’s flagship
annual event, Google Next London, by delivering a speech on the
role of digital transformation, AI and innovation in driving
productivity. The event was attended by public sector decision
makers and businesses such as Unilever, John Lewis and BT.
