More than 20,000 civil servants took part in a government-led trial using generative AI to support their daily work - with early results showing time savings equivalent to nearly 2 working weeks per person, per year.
- Over 20,000 civil servants were given the latest AI tech for 3 months, using it to draft documents, summarise meetings and more
- from policy officials using it to cut through jargon and streamline consultations, to Work Coaches speeding up support for job seekers - officials said the tech boosted their ability to deliver the Plan for Change
- comes as expansive research shows half of office work can be helped by AI, as government continues push to save £45 billion by creating a lean, modern state using tech
AI can significantly reduce time spent on government tasks - freeing up time, capacity and boosting productivity, with a landmark trial of 20,000 civil servants showing they could save nearly 2 weeks each annually by using the technology.
This is the equivalent of giving 1,130 people a full year back - every year - to focus on higher-value tasks, innovation or public service impact, rather than admin-based work - with the potential for this to rise significantly if used across the entire civil service, transforming productivity and public service delivery at scale.
The findings show the use of AI across the Civil Service will directly support the government's Plan for Change by driving innovation, fostering economic growth, and modernising how public services operate.
The trial found that using generative AI such as Microsoft 365 Copilot to assist with everyday tasks - including drafting documents, summarising lengthy emails, updating records, and preparing reports - saved users an average of 26 minutes per day. That adds to nearly 2 weeks of time saved per year per person, delivering a significant productivity boost when scaled across the public workforce.
At Companies House, staff use Copilot to handle routine customer queries and speed up tasks like drafting responses and updating records. At the Department for Work and Pensions, work coaches are using it to personalise advice for jobseekers - helping them get faster, more tailored support.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle highlighted the findings in a keynote discussion at SXSW London today, where he joined former Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss reimagining government and public service delivery in the age of AI.
Commenting on the results he 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.
As we deliver our Plan for Change, we're backing innovation like this to boost productivity and growth - not just in the private sector, but in public services too. AI is changing the way government operates, helping us work smarter, reduce red tape, and make better use of taxpayers' money.
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK said:
AI is the most transformative technology of our time and we're already seeing its potential to reshape public service delivery. Whether that's DWP work coaches helping more jobseekers into work, local authorities improving social care for the most vulnerable in society or NHS clinicians with more time to see patients, the potential is profound.
As a strategic technology partner to the UK government, we have an amazing opportunity to help improve both the quality of the services people receive and the way they access them. This could unlock new levels of growth, efficiency, and innovation for the country.
The government's Microsoft 365 Copilot experiment shows what's possible when people are empowered with the right tools: 26 mins per day (almost 2 weeks per year) less time on admin, more time delivering what matters. And the really exciting part is, this is just the beginning.
A DWP Work Coach involved in the trial said:
Using Copilot, I was able to help a self-employed customer - Customer X - revitalise her small business. Together, we created tailored social media posts to boost her online presence and used AI to identify cost-saving opportunities. Within a week, she'd secured 7 new client bookings. She's now using Copilot to streamline admin and manage bookings - freeing up time to grow her business. It's a powerful example of how AI can deliver real results for the people we support.
Complementing these findings, research from the Alan Turing Institute published today finds that AI could support up to 41% of tasks across the public sector, offering significant time savings. In schools, for example, teachers spend nearly 100 minutes a day on lesson planning - up to 75% of which could be supported by AI, freeing more time for the classroom. Civil servants spend around 30 minutes daily on emails, where AI could cut this effort by over 70%. From drafting documents to updating records, the research shows AI is well-placed to handle routine admin - supporting public servants across departments.
This forms part of the government's broader effort to modernise the state and achieve £45 billion in savings by making public services faster, simpler, and more accessible-across health, education, and beyond - while rolling out digital tools like the GOV.UK App, Chat, and Wallet, and tackling outdated legacy systems that currently cost billions in lost productivity.
Notes
Figures are derived from self-reported daily time savings provided by participants, averaged across the full cohort of 20,000 individuals.
The £45 billion figure is composed of 3 main levers:
- Simplify and automate delivery across public sector (£36 billion)
- Migrate service processing to cheaper online channels (£4billion)
- Reduce fraud and error with digital compliance solutions (£6 billion)
