David Lammy believes artificial intelligence can increase
trust in government and address issues with the public sector, citing its
potential for reform.
The AI "revolution," according to the Deputy Prime Minister, would slash through Whitehall red tape.
He claimed that while productivity was still below pre-pandemic levels and that some aspects of the public sector had become "too expensive," artificial intelligence (AI) had the ability to improve both.
In a speech at OpenAI’s Frontiers conference in London, Mr Lammy said:
“Governments and corporations who seize AI faster and more robustly will surge ahead and those that hesitate will fall very quickly behind.
I’m also convinced that if used well – emphasis on used well – AI can help to rebuild trust in the state, badly needed trust in our politics, delivering what people really want: shorter waits, fewer errors, lower costs and better outcomes.”
He added:
“Parts of our bureaucracy have become bloated, they have become too expensive, they have become too unproductive, to the point that too often they fail to meet the needs of the people that they’re meant to serve.
And, let’s be frank, public sector productivity is still lagging, certainly behind pre-pandemic levels, and that’s not good for anybody. It’s certainly not good for the people of our country.”
He said AI was already being used to transform public services, from analysing responses to consultations to helping triage patients with cancer.
“If we get this right, if we embed AI across government, across every system, across every service, I believe that we can rejuvenate 150 years of British state enterprise in the next 15 years, possibly even sooner,”
he said.
In order to reduce administrative labor, Mr. Lammy announced
that over 1,000 probation officers will now have access to an internal AI
technology that records and transcribes discussions with criminals.
As part of a new government agreement to strengthen company security against growing global cyber threats, ChatGPT developer OpenAI will store data on British soil for the first time.
The government has a notion that in assuring businesses their data is secure in the UK through the agreement, they would attract more investment from businesses.
This goes in line with a spate of cyberattacks targeting major UK companies in the past year, including retailers Marks & Spencer and Co-op as well as Jaguar Land Rover.
How will UK data residency for OpenAI affect public-sector data security?
UK data occupancy for OpenAI will significantly enhance public sector data security by allowing sensitive government and business data to be stored and reused within the UK. This original data hosting ensures that data is subject to UK laws, non-supervisory oversight, and security norms, reducing risks linked to data transfer and exposure overseas.
The arrangement, launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice( MoJ), boosts sequestration, responsibility, and public adaptability against cyber threats. It facilitates compliance with strict data protection rules applicable to regulated sectors, which has been a major hedge to AI adoption.
By localizing sensitive workloads, it also underpins durability plans and disaster recovery since data doesn't depend on foreign architectures. This helps make confidence in using AI across public services, enabling effective earnings while guarding citizens’ data.