The UK’s largest local authority wants to accelerate digital transformation, upskill staff and close the budget gap with a new technology centre.
Described as a ‘cornerstone of the council’s strategy for cultural transformation’, the facility aims to prioritise internal expertise over ‘expensive external consultants… guided by the principle of ‘think big, start small, learn and scale quickly.”
Developed as a collaborative environment and home to multi-and-interdisciplinary teams, core goals include streamlining processes and enhancing service delivery, boosting efficiency and productivity. Staff engagement is another priority, encouraging and facilitating people through training in new digital tasks.
A number of manual processes have already been replaced through the development of AI tools at the Foundry. These include:
*Integration of Microsoft Co-pilot to expedite administrative tasks such as legal summaries and Subject Access Requests
*Automated redaction software using UiPath’s Document Understanding technology
*SharePoint-powered translation, capable of converting simple documents in 30 languages into English
*Communications mining and mailbox indexing, allowing AI to read emails from the public and deliver real-time data on their concerns
These solutions have been created through a problem-centred approach, with development teams working in sprints of between six and 12 weeks. This process always begins with the identification of delivery areas in urgent need of updates and efficiency gains.
‘Birmingham’s approach to AI implementation is guided by a detailed AI policy that has been endorsed by senior leadership. The policy recognises the introduction of new AI technologies alongside other emerging technologies, emphasising a business value-driven approach,’ Birmingham City Council said in a summary of the project.
‘While promoting innovation, the policy incorporates a balanced framework. This includes a pre-approved list of AI tools and stringent control measures to evaluate new AI applications against legal, ethical, security, and business suitability criteria,’ the statement continued.
Birmingham City Council effectively declared bankruptcy in 2023, with a deficit of around £300million. The authority has since begun selling assets and making cuts to services, and recently proposed a 10% council tax increase for the second year running.
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Image: Luke Matthews via Unsplash
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