Local councils are picking up the AI mantle to help unleash this revolutionary technology across the UK – to turbocharge the Plan for Change and deliver a decade of national renewal.
The latest transparency data – published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) – shows that councils are wasting no time in putting the weight of the public sector behind AI and finding new and innovative ways to make it work for working people.
It shows that AI is being used to identify when a pensioner has had a fall, to stop people fall into rent arrears, to map which houses need loft insulation, to give people bigger bins, and – instead of taking people’s jobs – to help them find work in social care.
The publication of records follows the Technology Secretary setting out a blueprint for how his department will help the public sector use technology to transform public services, targeting £45 billion in potential productivity savings.
The plan will see a new team, housed in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), cut across barriers to join up public services, including those provided by local councils, so people do not have to tell dozens of organisations the same thing.
The team will first start by looking at services used by people with long term health conditions across organisations like the NHS, Department for Work and Pensions, local councils and more.
As the digital centre of government, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will champion innovation, like that shown by the London Borough of Sutton, and help to spread it around the country so it can be used to improve public services and drive the Government’s Plan for Change.
Speaking from a trip to see the Tech Enabled Care solution in Sutton, AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark said:
AI has immense potential to make our lives easier and improve public service. The technology we are together sharing with the public today includes shining examples of innovation that does everything from speeding up crucial applications for bigger bins, to helping people live independently.
Being transparent with the detail of how we are putting AI to work in public services is crucial to our plans to use technology to improve public services, which is a key part of our Plan for Change.
Other initiatives include AI-enabled fridge sensors and connected kettles are being used to detect changes in the daily routines of vulnerable people that could indicate a decline in health and ultimately lead to a fall, thanks to technology used by the London Borough of Sutton.
Helping people who would otherwise need additional care, the technology uses sensors to spot changes in behaviour, like missed meals, a skipped cup of tea or whether a door has been left open for too long, before AI analysis is used to detect whether something might be wrong. An alert is then sent to close family members or carers so they can stop by to check on how they are and offer additional support if needed.
Details of the technology, which was developed by Loughborough technology company The Access Group and is used by service delivery partner Medequip Connect in Sutton, have been released today alongside nine other public sector organisations setting out how they use AI and algorithmic tools.