£200m to fire AI revolution across the UK
A £200MILLION artificial intelligence revolution is set to transform public services and medical diagnoses.
The Government has cleared the way for an AI overhaul in which people can expect to talk with chatbots and virtual assistants when seeking help from public sector bodies.
The Cabinet Office initiative comes as Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s top aide and a keen advocate of AI, is reportedly preparing to move into the department’s Whitehall headquarters and lead a shakeup of the civil service.
Under the scheme, the Cabinet Office will set up a “dynamic purchasing system” so government departments and public sector bodies can commission AI services from approved suppliers.
The estimated total value of the scheme is £200million.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “Artificial intelligence offers exciting opportunities to modernise public services and increase efficiency. This will ultimately save the taxpayer money and public services.
“This agreement will enable the public sector to access the latest in AI, including technology for medical screening and diagnosis, chatbots to drive up the quality of customer experience, and virtual assistants.”
A chatbot is AI software that simulates conversation with a create better user, either online, in messaging or on the phone.
Similarly, a virtual assistant is an app that understands language and completes tasks for the user. They are used by a range of firms including Amazon (Alexa) and Apple (Siri).
However, Labour has called for greater transparency and safeguards to protect the public.
Rachel Reeves, shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: “It is wrong for the Government to spend £200million on a contract for AI without properly spelling out in detail the purpose of the project, why it deserves so much money and being open about the wider implications of it.
“We have seen how algorithms in exam grading can go badly wrong with hidden biases leading to seriously harmful unintended consequences.”
Mr Cummings has keenly followed the development of AI, writing support of it on his website in 2018 that there is “a 50 per cent probability we will achieve human-level AI by 2028 and a 90 per cent probability by 2050”.