Public sector and AI – UK government AI Knowledge Hub published

The UK government has published an AI Knowledge Hub (here) to help collate and share use cases and guidance.

The need for the Hub

The Hub has been launched by the Incubator for AI (i.AI), a part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.  The public sector has already been exploring the use of AI - look, for example, at the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (our most recent update is here, although further entries have been added since) and the National Audit Office's 2024 report into public sector AI use (here).  

However, according to feedback they received, parts of the public sector didn't know what other parts were doing with AI, could not find what had worked, and found guidance to be fragmented.  The Hub was built to help ‘surface, share, and build on what we already know.’

According to the i.AI:

As teams across the public sector explore how to use AI responsibly and effectively, they are generating something incredibly valuable: knowledge assets. These include insights from pilots, reusable templates and tools, and stories of success and caution. These learnings, born from real-world work, should not be locked away in silos.

[The Hub] is designed to help public sector teams navigate the AI landscape more easily, learn from each other, and avoid duplicating effort. Ultimately, it aims to support smarter, more confident AI adoption across government. 

The Hub was created in response to a commitment in the AI Opportunities Action Plan (here) - the government response to the consultation states that the Hub will be in ‘Pilot’ mode, although there's no such suggestion on the Hub itself. 

What is in the Hub

The Hub states that it is a:

living repository with two core components: 

1. Use Case Library: A curated collection of real-world AI applications from across the public sector that have delivered measurable outcomes.   
2. Guidance Section: A simplified, structured overview of trusted, UK government-published guidance to help orient you quickly.   

This may expand in the future.  It is intended to be a starting point rather than an exhaustive manual.

One point of interest is what use cases are included. There is no general requirement for public sector organisations to publish what AI systems they are considering, procuring, developing and deploying. Instead, such information can be in a range of locations, such as the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.  As such, when looking to see when and where the public sector is considering or actually using AI systems, they will still need to look in multiple locations which may provide insights but will not be comprehensive.

The Hub welcomes feedback, including on AI use cases, prompts and how the Hub can be updated.

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.  For the latest on AI law and regulation, see our blog and newsletter.