By Vicki
Woolgar, Internal communications lead for AI and Emma Taylor,
Data Ethics Manager
In March, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) hosted its
second AI conference. It brought together enthusiasts and
practitioners to discuss the latest advances and applications of
artificial intelligence in the public sector.
The potential of AI to transform public services is enormous,
providing opportunities to do things differently and deliver more
with less. With the AI opportunities action
plan published in January and the introduction of a new
AI playbook, the
conference was perfect timing. It helped participants
better understand what this means for the public sector, how it
will impact our ways of working and how to safely seize
opportunities.
Broadening our AI perspectives
As AI capabilities develop at a rapid pace, broadening our
perspectives beyond DBT is essential. At our conference, this was
achieved through a dynamic mix of panel discussions, insight,
presentations and interactive break-out sessions, with an
emphasis on building a community. Participants worked together,
sharing ideas throughout a diverse selection of sessions:
- an in-depth overview of the AI playbook, delivered by Dr.
Andrew Larkham (Service Owner, AI and Automation, Government
Digital Service)
- a panel discussion to examine criteria for selecting the
right AI assistant, including Copilot, Redbox and a new package
of AI tools called AI Humphrey
- break-out sessions covering:
- Building trust through AI governance and guidance
- We can't predict the future of AI, but we can build a
strategy
- The AI lifecycle; from risk identification to evaluation
- the practical uses of AI in the public sector, delivered
by Dr. Jonathan Bright, Head of AI for Public Services,
Turing Institute
Attending DBT's AI conference came at the right time for me, as I
had just started in my new project role. It was a fantastic
opportunity to build new connections and share knowledge and
learnings with different departments. It also enabled me to
network and collaborate across the teams as we're all on the same
journey.
My highlight was the opening session led by Dr. Andrew Larkham,
which covered the Government AI Playbook. This is such a useful
resource, so it was great to get more of an insight into how to
maximise its use. I also found the ‘What is the right
AI assistant?' discussion very insightful, with a great
panel discussion and Q&A.
The conference helped improve my understanding of the importance
of prompt skills, human interaction and managing change. I'm
using what I learnt to feed into the Advisory, Conciliation and
Arbitration Service (ACAS) AI strategy and opportunities. I
gained fantastic resources for continuous learning and insights
into running pilots and evaluation methodology. They will
help me support our wider team as we continue to explore the
world of AI.
Taking part in the discussion around the right AI assistant gave
me a great platform to present the new Humphrey AI package. This
is a suite of tools developed by the Incubator for Artificial
Intelligence, specifically for the civil service. It was good to
share progress on Consult (AI consultation analysis), Parlex
(tool for navigating parliamentary data) and Minute (AI
transcription in civil service tailored formats).
It was fantastic to build on existing collaborations between the
Incubator for Artificial Intelligence and DBT. This has
seen DBT develop its own version of our Redbox tool and second
DBT engineers into the i.AI team.
I also enjoyed hearing about the great progress DBT was making
with AI and to feel the excitement in the room for going further,
faster. I'm grateful to have contributed and come away with
fresh perspectives and renewed excitement for what's ahead.
The AI opportunity
Our second AI conference was a significant milestone in DBT's
journey towards harnessing the power of AI in the public sector.
It has left us inspired and energised by the huge opportunities
ahead. This can only be done through fully understanding not only
AI's potential, but also its limitations. Sharing insights and
building connections have already opened doors to fresh
possibilities. These are a powerful reminder that we are just
scratching the surface of what AI can achieve.
Looking forward, the future of AI is full of potential and
further opportunities – whether it's improving productivity or
transforming the way we work. The lessons learned and connections
made at this conference will undoubtedly continue to shape our
approach to AI and its applications in the public sector. The
real opportunity lies in how we choose to harness this momentum
and drive meaningful change together.
Read about the insights gained at
DBT's first AI conference.
