DSIT is also leading a scheme to create a new “digital centre” of government, boosting technology adoption across the public sector. “We are going to change this by experimenting with emerging technology to find new ways to save people time and make their lives easier, as we are doing with Gov.UK Chat. A small, private trial of the Gov.UK chatbot was conducted last year, with nearly 70% of the responses provided by the chatbot classed as helpful, but DSIT said the test also showed that more development was required to meet the high accuracy standards required for guidance on the government website. The Government also confirmed that stringent safety measures and guardrails have been put in place around the chatbot, with experts on AI safety and safeguarding techniques from the UK’s AI Safety Institute consulted on the chatbot’s development. DSIT acknowledged that some inaccurate and erroneous results were likely during the trial, given the emerging nature of generative AI, but said the test would provide information and insights needed to further improve the tool.
