‘Humphrey' government AI assistant looks to slash UK public sector red tape

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British Government launches Humphrey AI, named after 1980s sitcom character
Artificial intelligence will help save £45 billion in lost productivity every year
NHS, HMRC and DVLA are some of the departments set for a boost

In an effort to improve efficiency across its department and the public sector, the UK Government has announced a new AI assistant.

The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology confirmed in a press release that Humphrey – named after a character in the classic 1980's sitcom ‘Yes, Minister’ – will help cut back on consultant spending.

More broadly, Humphrey forms part of the government’s efforts to make the UK a leading AI nation and tackles outdated systems like telephone calls and written letters that plague HMRC and DVLA systems.

Humphrey AI

All in, the Technology Secretary wants to claw back £45 billion in productivity savings every year. The deployment of its artificial intelligence systems promises to reduce inefficiencies across the NHS, automate processes for the DVLA and enhance data-sharing between departments to improve services.

“My department will put AI to work, speeding up our ability to deliver our Plan for Change, improve lives and drive growth," noted Science Secretary Peter Kyle.

“We will use technology to bear down hard to the nonsensical approach the public sector takes to sharing information and working together to help the people it serves.”

Key to Humphrey’s offerings are Consult, which summarizes consultation responses quickly; Parlex, for searching and analyzing parliamentary debates; meeting transcription tool Minute; policy summarization and briefing preparation tool Redbox; and Lex, a system for researching and analyzing laws.

In other news, public sector organizations must also publish their APIs in order to facilitate the sharing of data. The government also wants to explore public sector pay and rewards to make working there more competitive compared with the private sector.

Kyle concluded: “Sluggish technology has hampered our public services for too long, and it’s costing us all a fortune in time and money.”

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With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!