Zarah ChoudharyData scientists will be upskilled into artificial intelligence (AI) specialists by a new scheme starting today, as the Government looks to use the technology to drive growth.
Across 12-weeks, the first run of the AI Accelerator Programme will train up 25 machine learning engineers through hackathons, where the coders will help tackle live Government challenges.
Technical experts from justice, health and transport authorities will join the programme before returning to their departments with new skills to build AI tools that can help reduce backlogs, save money, and stop officials and the public from wasting time on bulky processes.
The news follows the announcement of plans to double the number of digital experts in Government departments, as the Government seeks to transform public services and fund £45bn in productivity savings from AI and digital technology.
Feryal Clark, AI and Digital Government Minister, said: “We have started to build generative AI chatbots to change how people interact with the state, AI helpers to put an end to the mindless hours we spend on hold waiting for someone to pick up the phone, and tools to help get the views of citizens on policy proposals much more quickly – but AI can help with so much more.
“There is no reason people shouldn’t expect the same experience from public services, as they get from the most innovative businesses.
“By building AI skills across Government, we’ll be able to deliver just that – all while finding efficiencies and transforming services to deliver our Plan for Change.”
A data scientist from the UK Health Security Agency starting the AI Accelerator Programme said: “I am very excited for the opportunity to develop and utilise skills in AI.
“There is so much potential to use AI to improve how we work in my agency and in healthcare more widely.
“The programme will help me understand what we need to think about when building AI in the public sector, including how to manage data safely and be transparent in our work.”
Another data scientist, from Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), said: “I am very excited for the opportunity to take part in the AI Accelerator Programme.
“It will be fantastic to collaborate with other data scientists across the civil service to produce machine learning models that are streamlined, responsible, effective, and explainable.
“After completing the programme, I’m looking forward to being able to deploy models into production as this will be a huge benefit to the organisation.”
