The UK government has again invited frontier AI companies to test the use of AI for national government services. This time, the government is looking for AI agents to be created that can handle “boring life admin” for citizens, such as filling out forms, completing applications, and booking appointments to help people save time and “modernise the state.” The country is looking to begin trials with services related to employment and skills initially, with a potential rollout for other “life milestones”, such as moving home, by late 2027.
This initiative is part of the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan which is looking to massively integrate AI throughout the government to cut costs and boost productivity. The government said that this technology will be entirely optional for the public to use and that the development will follow a test and learn approach and will only progress if it’s safe and reliable. Any products that arise out of this initiative will be owned by the government.
Unlike normal AI chats which most people will be used to by now, the idea the government has is for an agentic AI to be developed that can complete basic admin tasks and provide tailored support. Users will provide a prompt and the AI will do the work for them. It said the AI could book flights or shop for deals, as well as work on behalf of citizens with dozens of different government agencies simultaneously. It could also help provide people with career guidance, finding apprenticeships, and updating their information across government services when they move home.
To ensure things work as intended, the government says the project will be built in “small and iterative stages” and be “rigorously tested” for reliability and accuracy.
The government says it will be issuing its first National AI Tender, asking frontier AI labs to share their expertise. A hybrid team of private and government AI experts will build a prototype over six to twelve months and follow a “Scan, Pilot, Scale” approach, with the tender marking the beginning of the “Pilot” phase.
The Scan phase has already been completed, consisting of user research and early prototyping. The government plans to continuously evaluate the project before it progresses to the next stage. The government noted that it wants to be the first country in the world to use AI agents at scale, if it works.
This agentic AI project is an initial part of the wider series of AI Exemplars announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. These projects are intended to show how AI can transform public services to make people’s lives easier, and save money. Another of the AI Exemplars already announced by the government is the Extract tool which will convert handwritten planning documents and maps into data. It’s estimated that this tool will save 250,000 hours of manual checking by planning officers each year. More of these AI Exemplars are due to be announced tomorrow.
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