The government has announced a new package of AI tools, nicknamed ‘Humphrey’ to streamline the NHS and other public services.
A team of expert AI developers from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) built the bundle of tools, which is named after the fictional Whitehall official made famous in BBC drama ‘Yes, Minister’.
It includes the ‘Consult’ tool to analyse responses from government consultations, the ‘Minute’ meeting transcription service, the ‘Redbox’ generative AI tool to help civil servants with day-to-day tasks, like summarising policy and preparing briefings, and ‘Lex’ which helps officials research the law.
Wes Streeting, health secretary, said: “We are bringing our analogue NHS into the digital age. Our Plan for Change will rebuild our NHS, put patients in control of their own healthcare and arm staff with the latest groundbreaking technology, ending the needless bureaucracy faced by patients up and down the country.
“We’ve already set out plans to transform the NHS App so patients can choose providers and book appointments, and we’re harnessing artificial intelligence to deliver faster and smarter care across the country.
“By embracing technological advancements, we can both make substantial savings for the taxpayer and build a health service fit for the 21st Century.”
The government will also overhaul how it delivers digital services and spends £23bn a year on technology, starting with a Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence.
This will look at how public sector organisations can negotiate costly contracts together to save money, and open opportunities for smaller UK start-ups and scale-ups to drive economic growth and create jobs as part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change.
Detailing priorities for the use of technology across government, a digital and AI roadmap will be published this summer aligned with the second phase of the spending review.
In a press release, published on 21 January 2025, the government said it “apply a common-sense approach to sharing information”, which could help central government departments share data with each other and local councils more seamlessly to tackle fraud and help businesses to grow.
It adds that the plan follows a review which found that the government “inherited a dire system which over relies on ways of communicating that should be left in the last century”.
Peter Kyle, science secretary said: “Sluggish technology has hampered our public services for too long, and it’s costing us all a fortune in time and money.
“Not to mention the headaches and stresses we’re left with after being put on hold or forced to take a trip to fill out a form.
“My department will put AI to work, speeding up our ability to deliver our Plan for Change, improve lives and drive growth.
“We will use technology to bear down hard to the nonsensical approach the public sector takes to sharing information and working together to help the people it serves.”
The plans deliver on the recommendation in AI Opportunity’s Action plan, to rapidly test, build or buy tools focused on public sector productivity and delivering better services.
