Photo: Adobe Stock The new government has been bullish on the potential of AI to transform public services, squaring the circle of ever-growing demand and ever-tightening departmental budgets. Darren Jones, the new chief secretary to the Treasury, previously called for a government which lets “1,000 AI pilots” flourish and £32m of funding has already been committed to nearly 100 AI projects intended to “boost productivity” and “improve public services”. On average, that is less than £350,000 per project: meaning cash will be spread very thin. But unless the government has robust plans to evaluate which of these projects have been successful, the payoff will be equally minimal. A recent poll of officials found that almost half believe their department does not effectively measure the progress or success of its digital and data initiatives. With government betting on so many horses, it’s crucial departments take the time to work out which digital projects have been most effective, so the Treasury can invest in scaling them further. Spending on these projects otherwise risks being closer to gambling than investment. As Reform research has previously shown , evaluation in Whitehall is largely an afterthought and left to a set of “proactive amateurs”, […]
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