Labour backs 98 AI projects in public sector productivity drive

£32million will be spent across 200 businesses and research teams as UK Government looks to deliver a pre-election pledge to bring services “into the digital age”. 

Pharmacies responsible for delivering healthcare prescriptions, rail infrastructure maintenance firms, and operators across a host of other public sectors stand to benefit. 

In total, £32million has been ring-fenced in the announcement, spread over 98 individual AI projects.

‘AI will deliver real change for working people across the UK – not only growing our economy but improving our public services,’ said Feryal Clark, Minister for AI and Digital Government. ‘That’s why our support for initiatives like this will be so crucial – backing a range of projects which could reduce train delays, give us new ways of maintaining our vital infrastructure, and improve experiences for patients by making it easier to get their prescriptions to them.”

‘We want technology to boost growth and deliver change right across the board, and I’m confident projects like these will help us realise that ambition,’ they continued. 

The news follows last week’s announcement that £5.5billion in spending cuts would be needed. According to Labour, the previous Conservative administration has left UK public finances on course to exceed budgets by £22billion this year.

In May, we reported on a Public Accounts Committee report into civil service procurement, which found a major shortfall in specialist skills has left government departments in a weakened position and vulnerable to overspend. This includes IT rollouts such as the controversial Oracle system – a cloud based platform adopted by Birmingham City Council and West Sussex Council, both of which have dramatically exceeded their original budgets. 

Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters