Civil servants must be properly involved in shaping the adoption of artificial intelligence if the government is to achieve its productivity and efficiency targets, a new report argues.
The report, Adopt, Innovate, Transform, from the Fabian Society think tank in partnership with the FDA, the union for senior civil servants, says AI – if used well – could cut routine administration, free up time for higher-value work and help redesign public services around the public.
But it warns that the “rewire the state” agenda will “falter” without access to the right technologies, proper training, credible incentives, a reduction in bureaucracy – and a serious effort to work in partnership with staff and unions.
The report is based on a survey of 2,067 civil servants. Of this sample, only 29% said they had been consulted about AI at work and 66% said they want to be more involved in shaping how their organisation adopts it.
Some 72% said they have either already introduced AI to improve how their team does things, or would like to do so in future.
A large proportion of respondents also expressed concerns about AI: 79% saying they are at least “slightly” concerned about AI use in their organisation and nearly half (49%) describing themselves as “moderately”, “very” or “extremely” concerned (26%, 11% and 12% respectively).
Among those who have not yet used AI to improve how their team works, 36% said this is because they are worried about risks to the public. Only 3% of respondents provided examples of things that had gone wrong, while 56% gave hypothetical examples – a pattern the report says underlines the case for stronger engagement, clearer safeguards, and better communication with staff.
The Fabian Society said the concerns raised about AI in the survey reflect “insufficient clarity, consultation and communication”, rather than widespread evidence of harm – and that a serious reform programme needs staff voice built in from the start.
To address the issues raised, the report says government should work with trade unions to:
- Define and establish mechanisms for engaging public servants on AI use at work – including digital tools whereby workers can share ideas, debate changes, volunteer for working groups and trials, and flag specific issues with AI systems.
- Agree and codify appropriate use for AI in HR, and ensure this is put in practice by setting a deadline for publishing all AI in HR via the algorithmic transparency recording standard and giving unions the opportunity to inspect all these systems.
The report proposes five priorities – and accompanying recommendations – that the government should focus on, which are based on the survey and three focus groups that took place with 30 civil servants.
The suggested priorities are: clarify a vision and establish the mechanisms for delivering it; ensure everyone has access to the right technology; cultivate talent strategically; make AI synonymous with good and meaningful work; empower and incentivise workers who want to make things better.
The recommendations include the creation of a "digital dividend" for delivery, whereby civil servants receive performance-related bonuses if they meet agreed delivery milestones. The report argues this would strengthen incentives to stay in post and complete transformation initiatives, with milestones set at recruitment or at project commencement.
Another recommendation is to identify key skills relevant to specific professional standards and develop modular courses for staff wishing to develop these skills at different levels, with civil servants getting a guaranteed minimum 2.5% of their time to spend on this training.
It also calls for departments to be allowed to retain and reinvest efficiencies generated by AI – as is commonplace in business – rather than automatically returning savings.
The report also recommends a series of structural changes. These include:
- The creation of a body in No.10 to prioritise and steer public sector digitisation from the centre. Chaired by the chief secretary to the prime minister, it would have the power to approve, veto or discontinue all major transformation initiatives, and ask departments to prioritise specific projects.
- A multidisciplinary team in each department, reporting directly into the departmental chief data and information officer, and indirectly to the Public Sector AI Adoption Unit, to champion and facilitate departmental transformation priorities.
- Establish a formal directorate-level network of trained AI champions, forming part of an AI Taskforce for each public body, with direct contact in DSIT
- Establish an AI Barrier Busting Task Force in the Public Sector AI Adoption Unit, with legal and governance expertise to navigate bureaucracy.
Access to tech 'frustratingly ad hoc'
On access to AI tech, the report says the government is making great strides in improving access to a variety of technologies, but “access to the best personal tools is frustratingly ad hoc”.
One respondent to the survey said: “[It] is not accepted in my department, but has been licensed for use in other departments who clearly recognise its benefits.”
Another said: “The pace and scale of rollout doesn't match the comms. It privileges policy teams.”
A third expressed concern that “only senior civil servants (DDs and above) have access” to certain tools.
To improve access, the report says government should prioritise development of internal solutions assessed to have the greatest potential productivity impact, and concurrently scope trials of external solutions to test impact across a range of professions, grades and departments, the report argues.
“This should be guided by clear and deliberate consideration for accountability and UK government sovereignty,” it adds.
Once tools are proven safe and effective, they should be made available across government – outside spend controls, at scale, across relevant roles and grades – the report says.
Dave Penman, the FDA’s general secretary, said: “Our research shows that FDA members are not blockers to progress – indeed, there is a strong appetite amongst civil servants to utilise AI to deliver better services to the public.
“However, rollout is inconsistent across departments, which limits productivity gains, gives little incentive for innovation, and fails to address the very real concerns people have about adopting the new technology.
“The government’s stated desire to ‘move fast and fix things’ can only happen if civil servants are given proper access to the tools and training they need to truly deliver a smarter state.”
Sasjkia Otto, senior researcher at the Fabian Society, added that the "unhelpful trope" of civil servants as "the blob” is "standing in the way of change and progress".
He said the research finds that most civil service managers could be part of the solution, if given the chance.
“To enable this, the government must resist the temptation to emulate the US “project chainsaw” model – of cuts now and questions later," Otto said. "Successful transformation will require meaningful investment and can only happen in partnership with the workforce.
“This does not mean talking endlessly about what can go wrong. It means giving civil servants the tools and support to make things better for the public. And it means ensuring their working lives get better, not worse, as a result of AI.”
CSW has approached No.10 and DSIT for comment.