Latest news with #AlanTuringInstitute
Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Times
AI could free 30,000 civil servants from routine admin, study finds
Nearly 30,000 civil servants could be freed from carrying out routine admin every year if AI is rolled out across Whitehall, a government study has suggested. More than 20,000 civil servants across Whitehall took part in a three-month trial to use generative AI for help with tasks such as drafting documents, summarising meetings, and handling emails. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said this saved the equivalent of giving 1,130 full-time workers out of the 20,000 a full year back every year. Extrapolated across the whole civil service workforce of 514,395 people, the trial suggests 29,063 could be freed up for other work using AI. It comes as a study from the Alan Turing Institute found AI could support up to 41 per cent of tasks across the public sector. The artificial intelligence institute found that teachers spend nearly 100 minutes a day on lesson planning but up to 75 per cent of this could be supported by AI, while civil servants spend about 30 minutes daily on emails, where it is believed AI could cut this effort by more than 70 per cent. Civil servants in the government trial used AI to cut through jargon and streamline consultations, while work coaches utilised it to speed up support for jobseekers. They used tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot to assist with drafting documents, summarising lengthy emails, updating records, and preparing reports. Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, will highlight the results alongside Sir Tony Blair at the SXSW London festival on Monday. The two will discuss reimagining government and public service delivery in the age of AI. Last month, a separate government trial found AI is more impartial than civil servants in analysing responses to new policies and consultations. A new AI tool to sort responses to public consultations found that about 75,000 days of work could be saved, while civil servants themselves said it removed opportunities for them to 'project their own preconceived ideas' into processes and 'takes away the bias and makes it more consistent'. • Consult, the new tool that will be used across government, is part of Humphrey — a bundle of AI tools being used across Whitehall and named after Sir Humphrey Appleby, the fictional permanent secretary in Yes Minister. The tool categorises responses under broad headings and assigns them based on whether they agree or disagree with proposals or if they are unclear. At present this is done manually by civil servants who comb through about 500 consultations a year, with responses in the thousands. The tool will also help with the increasing number of template responses to consultations organised by campaign groups. However officials also said there was a rise in the number of campaigning organisations that encouraged people to use AI to write consultation responses, which could lead to a situation where AI is analysing responses written using trial of Consult was used to analyse responses to a Scottish government consultation on cosmetic procedures. Testers found that the majority of the time the AI agreed with what a human reviewer would have said. Officials who worked with Consult on the test said they were 'pleasantly surprised' that AI analysis provided a 'useful starting point' in its initial analysis, with others noting that it ultimately 'saved [them] a heck of a lot of time' and allowed them to 'get to the analysis and draw out what's needed next'. Kyle said: 'These findings show that AI isn't just a future promise — it's a present reality. Whether it's helping draft documents, preparing lesson plans or cutting down on routine admin, AI tools are saving civil servants time every day. That means we can focus more on delivering faster, more personalised support where it really counts.'
North Wales Chronicle
27-05-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Lammy in Arctic mission to counter threat of Putin's Russia
A floating repair dock destined for Russian service in the Arctic has been stranded in the Mediterranean after the tug boat meant to tow it was hit with sanctions earlier this month. During visits to Norway and Iceland the Foreign Secretary will look at the measures being taken to counter Russia's actions in the region, including the threats Mr Putin's vessels pose to important cables and infrastructure on the seabed. New sanctions on Putin's precious ships and his illicit network of enablers will sink his ambitions to prop up his creaking oil industry and fund his illegal war. Only maximum pressure will force Putin to the table. — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) May 9, 2025 The UK is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence to detect hostile state activity in the Arctic, in a joint scheme with Iceland. The activities of the Russian navy's northern fleet of warships and the 'shadow fleet' of commercial vessels used to avoid sanctions on oil and gas exports are increasingly in the spotlight as the war in Ukraine drags on. Russia's icebreakers are seen as crucial assets to clear the routes used for the tankers of the 'shadow fleet' in the north. The sanctions imposed on the Vengery tug meant it was unable to tow a floating repair platform for the icebreakers from Istanbul to the Arctic. Mr Lammy said the Arctic was becoming 'an increasingly important frontier for geopolitical competition and trade' as melting sea ice opens up shipping routes and the potential to exploit oil, gas and mineral resources. The Foreign Secretary said: 'This is a region where Russia's shadow fleet operates, threatening critical infrastructure like undersea cables to the UK and Europe, and helping fund Russia's aggressive activity. 'It's more important than ever that we work with our allies in the High North, like Norway and Iceland, to enhance our ability to patrol and protect these waters. 'That's why we have today announced new UK funding to work more closely with Iceland, using AI to bolster our ability to monitor and detect hostile state activity in the Arctic.' The UK has committed £554,000 for the Alan Turing Institute, with Icelandic support, to explore how AI could improve monitoring capabilities and ability to detect possible hostile activity. During his visit this week, Mr Lammy will become the first foreign secretary to travel to the Svalbard archipelago, deep inside the Arctic Circle, where British scientists are collaborating with counterparts from Norway and other nations to study the impact of climate change. The Foreign Office's global science tactical fund confirmed £400,000 to support UK scientific collaboration in the Arctic. In Iceland, Mr Lammy will visit Keflavik air base, where RAF jets have supported Nato air policing missions.
Leader Live
27-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Lammy in Arctic mission to counter threat of Putin's Russia
A floating repair dock destined for Russian service in the Arctic has been stranded in the Mediterranean after the tug boat meant to tow it was hit with sanctions earlier this month. During visits to Norway and Iceland the Foreign Secretary will look at the measures being taken to counter Russia's actions in the region, including the threats Mr Putin's vessels pose to important cables and infrastructure on the seabed. New sanctions on Putin's precious ships and his illicit network of enablers will sink his ambitions to prop up his creaking oil industry and fund his illegal war. Only maximum pressure will force Putin to the table. — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) May 9, 2025 The UK is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence to detect hostile state activity in the Arctic, in a joint scheme with Iceland. The activities of the Russian navy's northern fleet of warships and the 'shadow fleet' of commercial vessels used to avoid sanctions on oil and gas exports are increasingly in the spotlight as the war in Ukraine drags on. Russia's icebreakers are seen as crucial assets to clear the routes used for the tankers of the 'shadow fleet' in the north. The sanctions imposed on the Vengery tug meant it was unable to tow a floating repair platform for the icebreakers from Istanbul to the Arctic. Mr Lammy said the Arctic was becoming 'an increasingly important frontier for geopolitical competition and trade' as melting sea ice opens up shipping routes and the potential to exploit oil, gas and mineral resources. The Foreign Secretary said: 'This is a region where Russia's shadow fleet operates, threatening critical infrastructure like undersea cables to the UK and Europe, and helping fund Russia's aggressive activity. 'It's more important than ever that we work with our allies in the High North, like Norway and Iceland, to enhance our ability to patrol and protect these waters. 'That's why we have today announced new UK funding to work more closely with Iceland, using AI to bolster our ability to monitor and detect hostile state activity in the Arctic.' The UK has committed £554,000 for the Alan Turing Institute, with Icelandic support, to explore how AI could improve monitoring capabilities and ability to detect possible hostile activity. During his visit this week, Mr Lammy will become the first foreign secretary to travel to the Svalbard archipelago, deep inside the Arctic Circle, where British scientists are collaborating with counterparts from Norway and other nations to study the impact of climate change. The Foreign Office's global science tactical fund confirmed £400,000 to support UK scientific collaboration in the Arctic. In Iceland, Mr Lammy will visit Keflavik air base, where RAF jets have supported Nato air policing missions.
Rhyl Journal
27-05-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Lammy in Arctic mission to counter threat of Putin's Russia
A floating repair dock destined for Russian service in the Arctic has been stranded in the Mediterranean after the tug boat meant to tow it was hit with sanctions earlier this month. During visits to Norway and Iceland the Foreign Secretary will look at the measures being taken to counter Russia's actions in the region, including the threats Mr Putin's vessels pose to important cables and infrastructure on the seabed. New sanctions on Putin's precious ships and his illicit network of enablers will sink his ambitions to prop up his creaking oil industry and fund his illegal war. Only maximum pressure will force Putin to the table. — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) May 9, 2025 The UK is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence to detect hostile state activity in the Arctic, in a joint scheme with Iceland. The activities of the Russian navy's northern fleet of warships and the 'shadow fleet' of commercial vessels used to avoid sanctions on oil and gas exports are increasingly in the spotlight as the war in Ukraine drags on. Russia's icebreakers are seen as crucial assets to clear the routes used for the tankers of the 'shadow fleet' in the north. The sanctions imposed on the Vengery tug meant it was unable to tow a floating repair platform for the icebreakers from Istanbul to the Arctic. Mr Lammy said the Arctic was becoming 'an increasingly important frontier for geopolitical competition and trade' as melting sea ice opens up shipping routes and the potential to exploit oil, gas and mineral resources. The Foreign Secretary said: 'This is a region where Russia's shadow fleet operates, threatening critical infrastructure like undersea cables to the UK and Europe, and helping fund Russia's aggressive activity. 'It's more important than ever that we work with our allies in the High North, like Norway and Iceland, to enhance our ability to patrol and protect these waters. 'That's why we have today announced new UK funding to work more closely with Iceland, using AI to bolster our ability to monitor and detect hostile state activity in the Arctic.' The UK has committed £554,000 for the Alan Turing Institute, with Icelandic support, to explore how AI could improve monitoring capabilities and ability to detect possible hostile activity. During his visit this week, Mr Lammy will become the first foreign secretary to travel to the Svalbard archipelago, deep inside the Arctic Circle, where British scientists are collaborating with counterparts from Norway and other nations to study the impact of climate change. The Foreign Office's global science tactical fund confirmed £400,000 to support UK scientific collaboration in the Arctic. In Iceland, Mr Lammy will visit Keflavik air base, where RAF jets have supported Nato air policing missions.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Navy to use AI to detect ‘hostile' Russian activity in the Arctic
The UK Navy is to use artificial intelligence to detect hostile state activity in the Arctic, amid the increasing threat from Russia in the region. The area is a key flank of European and Britain's security, while the Kremlin's operations there aid it war in Ukraine and threaten critical infrastructure like undersea cables to the UK, ministers warn. On a visit to Iceland, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy will announce a new joint scheme between the two countries to use cutting edge AI technology to monitor the activity of state actors. Mr Lammy said: 'It's more important than ever that we work with our allies in the High North, like Norway and Iceland, to enhance our ability to patrol and protect these waters,' The problem is growing as rising temperatures lead ice caps to melt, opening up previously inaccessible routes. Areas close to the Arctic are being used by Russia's nuclear-powered icebreakers, clearing paths for tankers helping fund his illegal war in Ukraine. These are Russia's 'shadow fleet' of ships which transport oil and gas or stolen Ukrainian grain, to get around Western sanctions. The foreign secretary will also reveal that the UK has halted Putin's plans to have a floating repair dock in the Arctic, to service the icebreakers. Under the new joint UK-Iceland strategy more than half a million pounds, £554,000, of UK funding from the UK Integrated Security Fund, for the Alan Turing Institute, will examine how AI can improve monitoring. The announcement comes after Donald Trump hit out at Putin, calling the Russian leader 'absolutely crazy' for firing hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight. French president Emmanuel Macron said he hopes Trump's latest remarks would 'translate into action', while Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky called for the US to slap additional sanctions on Moscow instead of continuing talks.
