The Prime Minister’s call for a “complete rewiring of the British state” has highlighted the need for the civil service to adapt to rapid technological advancements, particularly the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI). While AI will reshape policy-making processes, there are limitations to its capabilities, such as the potential for errors and biases in its output.
Despite these limitations, the use of AI in policy making can offer significant benefits. Policy makers will play a crucial role in editing and shaping AI-generated drafts, as well as adding their own expertise to push policy solutions in a more innovative direction. However, integrating AI into government processes may make it challenging for policy makers to acquire crucial domain expertise and insider insights.
To address this challenge, the civil service may need to rethink how policy makers acquire expertise, potentially by assigning more basic tasks to junior officials to build their knowledge. Additionally, exploring new approaches through “test and learn” projects could help maximize the benefits of AI in policy making while minimizing risks.
Ultimately, the goal is to create a policy-making process that combines human expertise with AI capabilities to improve efficiency, insightfulness, and citizen engagement. Proactively shaping the adoption of AI in policy making will be essential for the civil service to navigate this technological transformation successfully.
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