Government sets out key part of its digital transformation agenda, bringing world class talent into Whitehall to modernise essential services.
- UK AI experts join government to improve everyday public services including in transport and national security with $1 million from Meta.
- Anthropic will collaborate with the government to create AI assistants that support job seekers with career advice and finding employment.
- This forms a key part of the government's wider digital transformation agenda, bringing world‑class talent into Whitehall to modernise essential services and deliver quicker, safer and more efficient outcomes for the public.
People across the UK could benefit from faster, safer and more reliable public services as leading British AI specialists join government to modernise critical systems used every day - from public safety to transport maintenance.
Backed by a $1 million investment from Meta and delivered through the Alan Turing Institute, this new cohort of AI fellows will spend the next year developing open‑source tools that tackle some of the biggest challenges facing public services.
In transport, fellows will harness AI to develop models which analyse images and videos, enabling councils to prioritise infrastructure repairs more effectively.
Specialists will develop cutting-edge AI solutions which run offline or within secured networks to support national security and defence teams to make vital decisions while safeguarding sensitive data.
Ensuring emerging technologies like AI can go further and faster to support people at all stages of their lives, a new partnership with Anthropic also launches today to help build and pilot a dedicated assistant tool for public services. The AI assistant will support people through crucial life moments, starting with job seekers, providing custom career advice and help to lock down a job.
The technology, which will be entirely optional, is part of a cutting-edge plan to use AI agents for national government services, with a pilot expected to begin later this year.
Today's announcement comes as the government marks a week of focused action, showcasing how emerging technologies like AI are being put to work for the public good, benefitting hardworking people at the point of delivery.
A bold new vision for how tech will be used to help re-wire Whitehall will drive a further boost to the government's digital transformation agenda. Launched in January 2025, the roadmap capitalises on the AI Opportunities Action Plan as it prepares to celebrate its first birthday, bringing the benefits of AI to the frontline of public services.
Minister for Data and Modern Digital Government, Ian Murray said:
A digital world needs a modern, digital government. That is why we are enlisting the homegrown talent we already have to elevate our public services.
Having met the fellows I know they will play a pivotal role in re-wiring our healthcare, police, transport systems and more, to make sure hardworking people benefit from the opportunities that only technologies like AI can deliver.
Rob Sherman, VP, Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, Policy, at Meta said:
Meta is proud to help bring top British AI talent into government, fast-tracking the transformation of public services. Advanced AI is already woven into daily life-powering the UK's economy, driving innovation, and enhancing quality of life for citizens. By placing AI experts at the heart of government institutions, we're accelerating meaningful change and ensuring these benefits reach everyone.
Pip White, Head of UK, Ireland and Northern Europe at Anthropic:
We're excited to partner with the UK government to help deliver on the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
This partnership with the UK government is central to our mission. It demonstrates how frontier AI can be deployed safely for the public benefit, setting the standard for how governments integrate AI into the services their citizens depend on.
Professor Mark Girolami, Acting CEO and Chief Scientist at the Alan Turing Institute said:
AI has huge potential to help us anticipate risks, improve decision making and boost productivity, strengthening the UK's resilience and prosperity. The new fellows will play an important role in putting effective AI tools into the hands of our public servants in order to realise these benefits.
The programme brings together some of the UK's leading AI researchers and practitioners including:
- Dr Armin Mustafa, University of Surrey - an expert in computer vision and AI‑driven modelling.
- Angus Williams, Senior Data Scientist at the Alan Turing Institute - specialist in real‑world machine‑learning applications for the public sector.
- Dr Shan Luo, Associate Professor of Computer Vision at King's College London - known for robotics‑led approaches to imaging and automated decision‑making.
- Dr Frank Soboczenski, Assistant Professor in AI at the University of York - a leader in trustworthy AI and safety‑critical systems.
Earlier this month, the UK government announced CustomerFirst - a new team within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) focused on eliminating long wait times, repetitive form‑filling and outdated processes across a number of public services. To accelerate this work, government is bringing in additional private‑sector expertise and emerging technology to deliver tangible improvements on the frontline.
Led by Tristan Thomas, formerly of Monzo and with Greg Jackson , CEO of Octopus Energy as its first co‑chair, CustomerFirst will put modern technology to work to cut out long phone queues, reduce paperwork and make it easier and faster for people to access the services they rely on.
DSIT
