Government departments are exploring new tech, according to GDS report

Government departments have begun testing new technologies, but often do so in silos and risk reinventing the wheel unless there is better oversight, a review has found.

The independent review, commissioned by the Government Digital Service (GDS), surveyed tech leaders across departments, arm’s-length bodies and local authorities to find out how they were getting to grips with technology innovation. 

It found that there are a range of technologies currently being explored or piloted across departments and local councils, including artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, robotic process automation (RPA), distributed ledgers and biometrics.  

This includes projects at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Met Office and the Ordnance Survey, which are all looking at augmented reality. The Home Office, Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Environment Agency are also all looking at the potential for wearables to capture a range of data. 

Often these projects are part of the departments or agencies’ digital transformation programmes or manifesto commitments, the report said.

“Departments are exploring new technologies using prototypes, proofs of concepts and pilots to create better public services, improve internal processes and see what’s possible,” the report said.

“Some departments have set up dedicated innovation and data labs to do this on a small scale. Centres of excellence are established to provide guidance and best practice for a specific area or technology focus.”

Experimenting with new technologies in government services and underlying processes is often seen as a risk.

“The technologies may be untested, have no technology standards in place or are unable to scale. The stated benefits are not always clear and there can be a perception of new technology being a panacea,” it said.

“The scale of experimentation also carries different risks. Testing a new technology to improve a small back office process is different to deploying disruptive technologies like AI or distributed ledger technology in frontline services. Examples collected during the research range from low risk, low impact to high risk, high impact.”

However, there is also risk attached to doing nothing, the report added.