10 Apr 2024
by Varun Sarin

What to consider when scaling AI in the public sector

According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the Generative AI (GenAI) market is expected to reach $1.3 trillion in 2030, from a market size of just $40 billion in 2022. Yet approximately 85% of AI projects fail to deliver on their intended outcomes. So, what this data seems to suggest is: we are excited about the growth and potential of AI, but we struggle to turn ideas into reality.

Industries like legal, healthcare, and financial services are rapidly growing their capabilities and use of AI to drive down cost, increase productivity, and organise knowledge. However, for public sector, there are a variety of factors that have caused the adoption to be slower. For one, public trust in AI is sinking, dropping to 53% (down from 61% five years ago). At the same time, there is a skills gap, with 7 out of 10 government bodies stating that they do not have the ability to retain and attract staff with the right capabilities.

Moving forward, here are examples of foundational capabilities the public sector needs to address when it comes to scaling AI:

  • Strategy & Roadmap w/ First Principles
  •  Technology w/ Governance
  • Data w/ Privacy & Bias
  • Delivery Model w/ Risk Management
  • Talent w/ Compliance
  • Adoption & Scaling w/ Transparency

This blog will cover the first three foundational capabilities, leaving the rest open for future discussion. We will start by taking a look at Strategy & Roadmap.

At Credera, we regularly make AI roadmaps for clients, and the process begins by examining the strategy devoid of AI.

Why? Because it avoids the scenario “AI is the answer, now what’s the question?”

At the same time, we look at the operating model of the organisation, completely ignoring AI at the start. Once you have that, you are ready to consider first principles for your use of AI. This involves asking the question – Where are you prepared to use AI? And where are you not prepared to use it? These are what we call the First Principles.

The Gates Foundation have published one of the simplest, yet most powerful examples of what First Principles look like for AI. These are:

  • Adhere to our core values
  • Promote co-design and inclusivity 
  • Proceed responsibly 
  • Address privacy and security
  • Build for equitable access 
  • Ensure transparency

 

After establishing first principles, evaluate how AI can optimise different facets of your strategy and roadmap, including boosting productivity, enhancing personalisation, and refining knowledge management. We also recommend picking one of these to begin your journey in AI.

Now, moving on to Technology.

Technology is typically the capability that a lot of organisations start with. The problem about starting with a particular solution is that it misses the opportunities to fix broader problems. Forget wood for the trees - this is focussing on a specific root of a specific tree and ignoring that you have a much wider forest around you.

What usually ends up happening is that the tools are not sanctioned for use at scale, and therefore end up in dead-end experiments or built on an environment that has no chance of getting governance approval. Hence, it is imperative to think about technology with the governance guardrail in mind.

Choosing between off-the-shelf products and custom development presents a fundamental dilemma for public sector organisations as well. Whilst building custom solutions offers heightened security, it is also time-consuming and reliant on specialised talent.

Now, we will look at the third and final critical capability: Data.

Making sure the data held is properly managed is also a challenge. Without evidence of data, organisations can develop policies and services that do not address people’s real concerns.

Previously, we have helped create user-focused operating models for data analytics which enabled rapid response to market conditions. This helped bring together teams, tooling, and data; resulting in a more reliable, user-focused, and performant platform.

To implement data best practices, organisations may need specialist roles such as:

  • Data architect: Develops data vision and design to meet user needs
  • Data scientist: Understands existing data and target problems
  • Data engineer: Integrates delivery into business systems
  • Ethicist: Provides ethical judgments on inputs
  • Domain knowledge expert: Understands the deployment environment
  • Engineer: Supports production with dev-ops, infrastructure, and security knowledge

In the end, a great AI team is cross-functional and has a strong grasp of what the end user wants, how secure the environment is, and what technology is needed. It is critical to plan for and develop approaches to encourage adoption from day one.

In this exploration, we explored three of the six pivotal points laid out in the beginning when it comes to scaling AI adoption in public sector, laying a foundation for a broader conversation. The remaining points hold the potential for future discussion.


Heather Cover-Kus

Heather Cover-Kus

Head of Central Government Programme, techUK

Heather is Head of Central Government Programme at techUK, working to represent the supplier community of tech products and services to Central Government.

Prior to joining techUK in April 2022, Heather worked in the Economic Policy and Small States Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat.  She led the organisation’s FinTech programme and worked to create an enabling environment for developing countries to take advantage of the socio-economic benefits of FinTech.

Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.

Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.

Email:
[email protected]
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-cover-kus-ba636538

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Ellie Huckle

Ellie Huckle

Programme Manager, Central Government, techUK

Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.

The programme represents the supplier community of technology products and services in Central Government – in summary working to make Government a more informed buyer, increasing supplier visibility in order to improve their chances of supplying to Government Departments, and fostering better engagement between the public sector and industry. To find out more about what we do, how we do this and how you can get involved – make sure to get in touch!

Prior to joining techUK, Ellie completed Sixth Form in June 2015 and went on to work in Waitrose, moved on swiftly to walking dogs and finally, got an office job working for a small local business in North London, where she lives with her family and their two Bengal cats Kai and Nova.

When she isn’t working Ellie likes to spend time with her family and friends, her cats, and enjoys volunteering for diabetes charities. She has a keen interest in writing, escaping with a good book and expanding her knowledge watching far too many quiz shows!

Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
020 7331 2015
Twitter:
@techUK,@techUK
Website:
www.techuk.org,www.techuk.org
LinkedIn:
https://bit.ly/3mtQ7Jx,https://bit.ly/3mtQ7Jx

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Annie Collings

Annie Collings

Programme Manager, Cyber Security and Central Government, techUK

Annie joined techUK as the Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government in September 2023. In this role, she supports the Cyber Security SME Forum, engaging regularly with key government and industry stakeholders to advance the growth and development of SMEs in the cyber sector.

Before joining techUK, Annie was an Account Manager at a specialist healthcare agency, where she provided public affairs support to a wide range of medical technology clients. She also gained experience as an intern in both an MP’s constituency office and with the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. Annie holds a degree in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University.

Email:
[email protected]
Twitter:
anniecollings24
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-collings-270150158/

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Austin Earl

Austin Earl

Programme Manager, Central Government, techUK

Austin joined techUK’s Central Government team in March 2024 to launch a workstream within Education and EdTech.

With a career spanning technology, policy, media, events and comms, Austin has worked with technology communities, as well as policy leaders and practitioners in Education, Central and Local Government and the NHS.

Cutting his teeth working for Skills Matter, London’s developer community hub, Austin then moved to GovNet Communications where he launched Blockchain Live and the Cyber Security and Data Protection Summit. For the last 3 years he has worked with leaders in Education across the state and independent schools sectors, from primary up to higher education, with a strong research interest in technology and education management.

Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
07891 743 932
Website:
www.techuk.org,www.techuk.org
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spencer-earl/,https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-spencer-earl/

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Ella Gago-Brookes

Ella Gago-Brookes

Team Assistant, Markets, techUK

Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes.  

Before joining the team, she was working at the Magistrates' Courts in legal administration and graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2022.  Ella attained an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, and a master's degree in International Relations and Security Studies, with a particular interest in studying asylum rights and gendered violence.  

In her spare time she enjoys going to the gym, watching true crime documentaries, travelling, and making her best attempts to become a better cook.  

Email:
[email protected]

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Authors

Varun Sarin

Managing Consultant, Credera