Government AI assistant named after ‘machiavellian’ sitcom legend
Civil servants have dubbed a new AI system introduced to reduce millions spent on consultants “Humphrey” after the “machiavellian” adviser from Yes, Minister.
The bundle of tools, named after the fictional Whitehall official from the BBC sitcom, will look to boost productivity, replace “archaic” technology and save taxpayer-funded services as much as £45bn.
Sir Keir Starmer has already greenlit a plan to use the immigration system to recruit a new wave of AI experts and loosen up data mining regulations to help Britain lead the world in the new technology.
Tim Flagg, chief operating officer of trade body UKAI which represents the AI sector, hit out at the nickname given to the tech, telling the BBC: “Humphrey for me is a name which is very associated with the machiavellian character from Yes, Minister.
“That immediately makes people who aren’t in that central Whitehall office think that this is something which is not going to be empowering and not going to be helping them.”
One, called Consult, aims to speed up policy decision-making by crunching thousands of responses to consultations within hours and presenting them as interactive dashboards for policymakers and experts.
Consultants and analysts who do this at the moment can take months to compile responses and bill the taxpayer around £100,000 per consultation.
The package for civil servants also includes a tool to analyse decades of parliamentary debates called Parlex, a generative programme to prepare briefings called Redbox and a legal research tool called Lex.
The tools are part of a plan to overhaul digital services in a bid to cut costs and make it easier for the public to access services.
Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle is also expected to unveil plans for digital driving licences that would be accessed through a government app.
The government wants to do away with “antiquated processes” such as queueing at the local council to register a death or posting an advert in the local paper to get a lorry driving licence.
It also wants central departments such as HMRC and the Department for Business and Trade to share more data with each other and local councils to crack down on fraud.
A new team in Mr Kyle’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will be tasked with joining up public services so people do not have to tell dozens of organisations the same thing.
The science secretary said: “Sluggish technology has hampered our public services for too long, and it’s costing us all a fortune in time and money, not to mention the headaches and stresses we’re left with after being put on hold or forced to take a trip to fill out a form.
“My department will put AI to work, speeding up our ability to deliver our Plan for Change, improve lives and drive growth.
“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.
“We will also end delays businesses face when they are applying for licences or permits, when they just want to get on with the task in hand – growth. This is just the start.”
The rollout came after Sir Keir called AI the UK’s “superpower”, as he unveiled plans to expand use of the technology in a bid to boost growth.
The prime minister conceded there would be “teething problems” involved in the process but insisted changes would help revolutionise creaking public services and turn around Britain’s economy.
The government has said it will “take forward” all 50 recommendations made by tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford, who was commissioned by Mr Kyle in July to come up with a plan to identify AI opportunities.
In a speech in east London on Monday, Sir Keir said: “AI isn’t something locked away behind the walls of blue chip companies; it’s a force for change that will transform the lives of working people for the better.”