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Published on: 23 May 2025 at 15:45
The UK government announced that Humphrey (its artificial intelligence suite), is being tested by a number local councils.
Minute, an AI tool from IBM, is used to take notes during meetings. It was recently used at a meeting that was chaired Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister.
Part of Humphrey the Package of AI tools To help civil servants deliver more effectively for ministers and public, uses generative AI for meeting notes and provides tools for correction of summaries. Early tests by the government showed that Minute saved officials an hour per one-hour session.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said Minute can speed up actions following planning meetings, allowing officials to focus on the task in hand, instead of paperwork, and make educated decisions to get homes constructed. Currently, 25 local councils are testing it.
It is being used to streamline administrative tasks that are burdensome in the planning process, as part of the plans by the government to build 1.5million homes by 2030.
Sharon Taylor, Lords Minister for Housing and Local Government, said: “Local Councils are on the forefront of housing delivery and we’re supporting them with cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology like Minute so that officers can spend less money on admin and more time working to get Britain built.
She said, “This is in addition to our landmark reforms that will deliver 1.5 million homes including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which will get working families and households into secure homes and boost the economic growth right here in the country.”
Minute can be used to take minutes in meetings between social workers and their supervisors. This allows workers to focus more on providing support, rather than being bogged down with bureaucracy.
The Minute trial is part of a larger government initiative to assist local councils in using technology to improve the essential services they deliver to local residents. The government also created an AI Knowledge Hub to share examples of how local authorities are using technology, so that others can learn from their experiences. For example, an AI assistant speeds up the reporting of graffiti and fly-tipping in central London.
In 2024, Local Government Association The survey found that 85% of the councils participating in the poll were either using AI or exploring ways to use it. Most respondents reported that they had seen benefits from AI in the areas of staff productivity (35%), cost savings (22%), and service efficiency (32%).
The LGA reported, however, that respondents identified five major barriers to AI deployment: a shortage of funding (64%), lack of staff capability (53%), lack of staff capacity (50%) and a need for better governance (41%).
The government’s own State of digital Government Review The report, published earlier this summer, found that the 320 local authorities of England each negotiate technology contracts with large tech companies independently, even though many buy the exact same tools. This makes the spending much less efficient. The government is trying to lower the barriers to AI deployment in the public sector by implementing AI-based tools based on Humphrey.
AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark (19659021)””auto”” xml:lang=””One-GB” “> “Local councils are responsible for many of the services we use every day, including parking permits and planning approvals. They have been left to their own devices for far too long when it comes to keeping up with the rapid advances in AI and digital technologies. We know that these technologies can help them solve many of their challenges.
Clark said that the government would work with local councils in order to help them purchase and build the technology needed to deliver Labour’s Plan for Change, and support their local community more effectively.
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