Nearly Half Of Civil Servants Doubt They Will Get Proper Training On How To Use AI
Peter Kyle is the Cabinet minister responsible for digital transformation across government (Alamy)
5 min read
Nearly half of civil servants doubt they will receive enough training to make effective use of artificial intelligence in their jobs, according to a new survey shared with PoliticsHome.
Research carried out by Prospect, a trade union representing mid-ranking and specialist civil servants, found scepticism about the government’s plans to roll out AI across Whitehall.
The survey, seen by PoliticsHome, showed that nearly half – 49 per cent – of civil servants are not confident that they will be given the training they need to take advantage of new technologies such as AI, while only 24 per cent said they were confident.
Starting this autumn, civil servants will receive "practical training" on how to use AI in their day-to-day work. The government says it plans to work with tech companies, including Google, to train 100,000 officials in tech and AI skills by 2030.
The survey, which interviewed 3,000 Prospect members earlier in the summer, found 47 per cent of civil servants agreed that new technologies such as AI have the potential to help them to be more effective or efficient, while only 23 per cent disagreed.
The findings showed a split among civil servants over whether they supported the government investing in AI to reform the civil service, with 39 per cent supporting investment, 27 per cent opposing it, and 34 per cent saying they were neutral on the topic.
One anonymous civil servant said: “Whilst AI is a technology that should be utilised and embraced to improve our current work, the proposed plan to invest in AI as a means to transform the work of the civil service strikes me as vulnerable to wasting money on short term, headline grabbing ‘wins’ rather than long term investing in people, skills and retention.”
The government described digital transformation as being key to the delivery of its core missions. In a speech earlier this year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that "Britain will be one of the great AI superpowers", but admitted there would be "teething problems".
MPs are also starting to experiment with how to use AI in their offices, but some have expressed concern about whether MPs’ staff are adequately trained to use it safely.
In January, the government announced a plan to “turbocharge growth and boost living standards” by ramping up the use of AI across the NHS and other public services to allow workers to spend less time doing admin, as well as introducing dedicated AI Growth Zones to speed up planning for AI infrastructure.
Civil servants across government are already using AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, to support their work. However, PoliticsHome understands that take-up of new technology varies between departments, with some proving more open to adopting AI than others.
The promotion this week of former Treasury minister Darren Jones into a new role in No 10 could add further momentum to this push. Jones was previously described in a Guardian profile as a “techno-optimist”, and previously founded and chaired the Interparliamentary Forum on Emerging Technologies, a global network of legislators focused on regulating new technology.
Darren Jones, now Chief Secretary to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, was the founder and chair of the Interparliamentary Forum on Emerging Technologies (Alamy)
A source close to Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told PoliticsHome they hoped Jones would serve as a “stick” to speak to other departments and encourage wider adoption of AI across government.
While union leaders insisted they are not against technological change, they were cautious about the potential impact on jobs across the public sector.
General secretary of the FDA, another civil service trade union, Dave Penman, told PoliticsHome his union is developing proposals to ensure civil servants are included in shaping how AI is used across government.
“If you look and talk to departments around what they're doing [with AI], it's quite small scale,” he said.
He said the project aims to figure out “how organisations ensure that when they're thinking about digital and artificial intelligence, that they're using the workforce, and they take the workforce with them and use it to help improve the decisions about it”.
Prospect's deputy general secretary Steve Thomas said the government had “a long way to go” to convince civil servants about its AI ambitions, despite repeatedly touting the technology as a way to reform and improve efficiency across Whitehall.
“It is particularly telling that those with science and engineering jobs, who you might expect to be more au fait with new technologies, are some of the most sceptical,” he said.
“Our members are not against change, nor are they necessarily against new technology, but having seen failed IT programmes in government before, they are understandably sceptical about this latest AI push.”
He added that AI could “make work better for everyone”, but “only if it is introduced with a coherent plan that includes a clear understanding of the challenges and impact on the workforce and proper training”.
“Ultimately, this programme will only be successful if it is introduced in partnership with civil servants and their unions,” Thomas said.
A government spokesperson told PoliticsHome: "We want to free civil servants from routine administrative tasks so they can focus on the work that really matters – delivering for the public. That's why we're making every effort to ensure they have the skills and confidence to use AI effectively.
“Already, where AI is being used effectively, we’re seeing huge impact across the civil service. Humphrey, our AI toolkit, will help save time by sorting consultation responses automatically, and Microsoft Copilot is helping civil servants draft documents and analyse data more efficiently – saving them on average around two weeks a year."
