A new framework sets out how the government can harness the benefits of AI to make project delivery more efficient. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) framework enables civil servants working on over £805bn of public projects to use AI to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their delivery.
The government project delivery profession will be empowered to experiment with AI and data analytics to tackle issues like overspend and delays.
Karina Singh, Director of Function, Insights & Profession at the IPA said:
‘The use of advancing technologies, especially AI, is a topic of broad and current interest.
This paper cuts through the noise to provide a framework of actions we can use to experiment with and upskill project delivery professionals to get the most out of this fast-moving development.’
The IPA will work with cross-government AI leaders to oversee a series of innovative pilots. The most successful experiments will have the potential to be rolled out to optimise performance.
The publication of the framework follows Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden’s speech on ‘AI for Public Good’, which set out the government’s commitment to using AI to revolutionise public services, boost productivity and save taxpayers money.
The report recommends that barriers to sharing data are removed where appropriate, by developing common standards, infrastructure and processes, so that the potential of new technology can be realised. The importance of collaboration between government and its partners for creating the right conditions for innovation is also a key highlight in the new framework.
Cabinet Office Minister of State, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, said:
‘The innovation we are seeing in data analytics and AI has the potential to significantly benefit government project delivery and, even more important, to save the taxpayer money.
As a former business executive I am delighted that our new framework sets out our determination to explore the possibilities further through collaboration, upskilling and experimentation.'