BILLIONS of pounds of productivity savings are being risked by the government as its rollout of AI in public services falls behind other countries, the TUC warns today.

The union federation urged ministers to “stop dragging their feet” over the implementation of the emerging technology after public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) called for “prompt action to address barriers to making effective use of AI within public services.”

An NAO survey found that just over a third of government bodies have deployed AI, with 70 per cent piloting or planning the emerging technology.

This is despite the government’s draft AI adoption strategy still lacking “overall ownership and accountability for delivery, funding, or an implementation plan with performance metrics.”

TUC public services lead Sian Elliot said the AI rollout must involve proper consultation with staff and unions.

“Imposing new tech and IT systems on public servants without their input and without proper training has been recipe for disaster in the past,” she said.

“The government must invest in its workforce to make sure they have the skills to make the most of technological advancements.

“We must get the basics right first. Fourteen years of capital budget cuts have left public services with ageing and inadequate equipment.

“NHS professionals tell us it can take 15 minutes to fire up a computer.”

On the need for employment-specific AI regulation, Ms Elliot added: “As the NAO makes clear, there is still a lot of workforce unease about legal liability and whether AI will be used ethically and with full transparency.

“That’s why it’s vital ministers urgently introduce new laws for the use of AI in the workplace.

“This would help give workers far more confidence that they and service users are protected.

“The US, the EU and Canada are all regulating in this way. Ministers should stop dragging their feet and do the same.”

The watchdog warned that achieving the widescale benefits offered by AI requires “significant changes” in business processes and workforce changes.

“Gains will only be realised if government ensures its overall programme for AI adoption is ambitious and supported by a realistic plan to tackle its ageing IT systems, addresses skills gaps and improves data quality,” the NAO said.

Its survey flagged up difficulties in attracting and retaining staff with AI skills, a lack of clarity over legal liability, a danger of unreliable or inaccurate outputs from AI and risks to privacy, data protection and cyber security.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “PCS accepts the inevitability of AI but we don't think it's inevitable that AI should lead to wholescale staff cuts in the areas we organise, with the staff remaining, being reduced to machine minders.

“Instead PCS wants AI to do the basic processing work, allowing staff to be released to do value added work but also to tackle the multiple tasks that are currently left undone in the civil service.

 “Unfortunately the current government wants to use AI to drive staff cuts with the Deputy Prime Minister linking AI to delivering a job cuts target of 66,000 civil servants. The only way that can be done is if AI carries out wholesale automated decision-making around fraud, benefits, tax, and even justice.

“Recognising the dangers but also benefits of AI, PCS has drafted a model AI agreement that safeguards employment whilst accepting change, with the productivity gains being shared with workers in the form of reducing the working week and paying higher wages.”