THE UK Treasury has begun using AI to reply to emails – and found that its 70% success rate is “as good or better” than when their staff did it, reports say.
The Times reported on Monday that Chancellor Rachel Reeves had started using a new artificial intelligence system from Open AI in order to sort and respond to emails sent to the UK Government department.
The move was said to be part of a wider pattern in the UK Government, and was touted as saving “several hours of manual work per day for multiple team members”.
The system – called a “correspondence triage automation tool” – automatically matches email correspondence and matches it with boilerplate responses.
Tests carried out within the Treasury found the system was around 70% accurate, The Times reported, which was “performing as good or better than existing processes”.
There are reported to be a total of 11 AI tools being trialled by the UK Government.
The Treasury said that it was not letting AI do all the work, with final responses to emails still “prepared and signed off by a Treasury employee”.
The news comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledges to make the UK an “AI superpower”.
The Prime Minister conceded there would be “teething problems” involved in the process but insisted changes would help modernise public services and turn around the economy.
The UK Government has said it will “take forward” all 50 recommendations made by tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford, who was commissioned by Science Secretary Peter Kyle in July to come up with a plan to identify AI opportunities.
In a speech in east London on Monday, Starmer said: “AI isn’t something locked away behind the walls of blue chip companies; it’s a force for change that will transform the lives of working people for the better.
“So if you’re sitting around the kitchen table tonight worrying about the opportunities at your children’s school, AI can help teachers plan a lesson tailored to your children’s specific needs.
“If you’re worried about waiting times – aren’t we all? – AI can save hundreds of thousands of hours lost to missed appointments, because it can identify those on the list most likely not to turn up and help get them the support that they need, maybe change for a more convenient appointment.
“It can spot potholes quicker, speed up planning applications, reduce job centre form-filling, help with the fight against tax avoidance, and almost halve the time that social workers spend on paperwork.”
He added: “Yes, there will be teething problems. Of course there will, but we can’t lose sight of the vast potential here.”
The Labour Government is pinning its hopes of growth on AI, after failing to deliver anything at all on its flagship promise in its first three months in power.
The ONS reported in December that the UK economy had grown by 0.0% between July and September.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is seeing her position questioned amid the ongoing issues. She is said to be planning “ruthless” spending cuts, which Starmer on Monday backed.
