By Sarah Towers
The AI Opportunities Actions Plan, published by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology in January 2025, outlines the need for rapid AI adoption across the UK. In a bid to boost economic growth, create new jobs and improve daily lives, the AI revolution will secure Britain’s spot as a global tech leader. For local governments, it has the ability to transform and improve staff productivity and service efficiency, if implemented in the right way.
As of January 2025, Britain is the third largest AI market in the world and is already being used across many sectors such as construction, transport and health and wellness. But one area that is slightly slower on the pickup of AI is local government. With limited budget and resources on hand, keeping ahead of the digital curve is often just that bit trickier for smaller government bodies.
The UK is already benefiting immensely from AI, and by embracing the technology it could boost UK GPD by £550 billion in the next decade according to a recent Microsoft report. It’s not just financial benefits though, by shaping the technological revolution we can improve vital public services, improve health care and education, create more jobs and drive towards a more efficient and productive workforce.
One of the biggest barriers stopping local authorities from embracing AI is the lack of knowledge and misunderstanding around the technology. For many years the fear of the unknown has caused confusion, with numerous news articles claiming modern technology poses a threat to humanity. This could not be further from the truth.
Whilst a healthy dose of skepticism is to be expected, the negative publicity surrounding AI has hindered many organisations’ ability to fully embed the technology. The concern of individuals often whittles down to job loss, misuse or loss of control, however, through careful training and reassurance, everybody can understand the benefits of AI and use it improve their jobs in the process.
There are multiple examples of how the implementation of AI can help local governments to thrive. Take waste management as an example, councils might want to add sensors to bin lorries to optimise collections. When a bin is lifted to the lorry, the sensors can determine whether the bin is half-full or full and whether it needs emptying on that day. To take this one step further, cameras can be installed underneath and to the sides of trucks, scanning the roads for potholes or blocked drains as it goes and reporting back. This can help councils to manage and fix problems in a timely manner.
Other, more general examples of AI supporting local government include its ability to remove everyday administrative tasks, gifting time back to employees to use on more important tasks. The technology can be used for data crunching and predictive analysis in planning to help councils understand future resourcing needs when trying to meet targets. It can also be incredibly helpful for optimising public transport schedules, surveying hours of video footage or analysing documents to speed up evaluations which once would’ve taken an employee valuable time. By freeing up more time for employees to conduct meaningful work, rather than day-to-day admin, employees will begin to feel more empowered and productive, boosting efficiency throughout the organisation.
One key area that is missing from the AI Opportunities Actions Plan is managing and upskilling workers. People are core to every transformation, even ones that are digitally focused. To truly unlock the power of AI, employees need to be supported and trained in a judgement free space, allowing them to disclose any concerns or areas of support.
After years of fear-mongering some employees may be more hesitant to engage with an AI transformation. Therefore, it’s up to leaders to adopt a top-down approach to promoting and embracing AI in the workplace. To begin, a skills audit should be conducted, assessing the existing knowledge and experiences with AI-related skills. Based on this, customised training plans can be developed to ensure everyone within the organisation feels supported and confident.
It’s important for leaders to emphasise that a digital transformation doesn’t mean job cuts, but rather, takes away the time-consuming jobs and allows staff to focus on higher value, creative and strategic work.
The other area of consideration for local government is data handling and security. Since its inception, regulations and controls over AI have come a long way. However, it’s vital that any data being housed by a council is audited by someone within the organisation. Some local authorities may choose to use generative AI to create policy documents for data handling, this may have taken an employee a few days, but can now be completed in a few hours with some reading and manual amends to make sure the policy is correct. With the policy in place, there’s time to really take accountability of the tasks and ensure the steps for correct data handling are being followed.
Shaping the use of AI in the UK is no overnight task. It will require maintaining the ambition from Government to drive the revolution forward, ensuring that both the public and private sector are involved in the transformation. The Government will also now need to consider how to support the UK through a culture shift when it comes to embracing the new technology, encouraging new mindsets and behaviours, particularly of the general public.
The AI Opportunities Actions Plan is certainly a step in the right direction for the country and addresses many of the barriers that currently stand in the way of change. As one of the global AI leaders, we need to now focus on tackling the misconceptions around the technology in order for us to upskill employees and boost job satisfaction. Once implemented properly, the benefits of AI will positively transform our country for good.
Sarah Towers is Operations Director at business change consultancy, Entec Si.