Where to start
You don't need to be a technologist to lead on AI
in savings targets across government
saved per day using AI tools
But you do need a working understanding of what it is, what it isn't, and where to start.
This guide gives you that foundation, and points you toward the practical next steps that will set your organisation up for success.
Why act now?
The UK Government's AI Opportunities Action Plan and AI Playbook for Government both set a clear expectation: AI is no longer optional. With £45bn in savings targets across government, departments that wait risk falling behind, duplicating effort, and losing the capability needed to scale when they eventually do move.
A 2024 UK trial with 20,000 civil servants found AI tools saved staff 26 minutes per day, nearly two additional weeks of capacity per person each year. The opportunity is real, and it is available to you now.
Capacity freed up in one department does not stay invisible. When one team processes cases faster, answers queries more consistently, or reduces repeat contacts, the contrast becomes visible to ministers, to HM Treasury, and to citizens. Departments that wait do not stand still. They fall behind teams that are already iterating, already learning, and already building the case for their next phase of investment.