Update: A Blueprint for Modern Digital Government

The UK government has unveiled a six-point plan to modernise digital public services (here).  

Published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (“DSIT”), the plan aims to tackle the systemic challenges highlighted in the State of Digital Government Review and outlines a long-term vision for digital reform to enhance efficiency, accessibility, and innovation across the public sector. The new Government Digital Service (“GDS”) - the digital centre of government - will lead government digital initiatives, integrating the Responsible Technology Adoption unit's roles into the expanded GDS and the AI Opportunities Unit into DSIT.

The Plan:

1. Join up public sector services: Create cohesive digital infrastructure to reduce duplication and simplify access to public services for UK citizens.  This includes introducing a Digital Wallet for government credentials and a “once only” rule to reuse information provided to one service across others.
2. Harness AI for public good: Leverage rapid advances in AI to improve service delivery and decision-making, while ensuring ethical use and data privacy.  The AI Incubator (i.AI) will focus on building and testing AI tools to boost public sector.
3. Strengthen digital and data infrastructure: Enhance the robustness and security of digital systems by investing in secure, scalable infrastructure.  Improve data management and sharing practices, with the creation of the National Data Library to facilitate data reuse across public sector organisations and continue to build on GOV.UK One Login to strengthen cybersecurity and national technical resilience. 
4. Elevate leadership and invest in talent: Foster a culture of digital leadership and upskill the public sector workforce to reduce reliance on third-party contractors.  This includes training employees, attracting specialists to digital government careers, and promoting innovation and continuous improvement.
5. Fund for outcomes and procure for innovation: Collaborate with HM Treasury to ensure funding and procurement that drives the creation of responsible, inclusive, and secure technologies that benefits the public, public services and UK businesses including SME.  
6. Commit to transparency and accountability: Promote openness, transparency and accountability in digital initiatives to build trust and ensure digital transformation efforts are designed to give people visibility and control over how their data is used. 

The blueprint sets out priority reforms for each, and lists specific actions the GDS will take in the short and longer term.

The plan seeks to position the UK as a leader in digital government by ensuring the UK’s public services are efficient, accessible, and responsive to citizens' expectations and evolving needs. 

If you would like to discuss how current or future regulations impact what you do with AI, please contact Tom Whittaker, Brian Wong, Lucy Pegler, Martin Cook, Liz Smith or any other member in our Technology team.

This article was written by Alice Gillie.