Keir Starmer is now having ‘AI meetings’ for the first time – what you should know
The UK government is trialling a new AI tool called ‘Minute’, which is aimed at cutting down on burdensome admin tasks to improve services for citizens.
On Friday (23 May) Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought together heads of the devolved governments and elected English Mayors at the Council of the Nations and Regions for talks on recent trade deals, as well as how AI can improve public services and maximise the technology’s benefits for people across UK.
‘Minute’ was used to take notes in the meeting, marking the first time AI has been used in a meeting chaired by a UK Prime Minister.
25 local councils are currently taking part in the early-stage trial of ‘Minute’ to speed up note taking across the services they provide, including West Berkshire Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. This includes streamlining burdensome admin tasks in the planning process to help hit the government’s target of building 1.5 million homes by 2030.
This could help speed up actions after planning meetings, allowing officers to focus on the task at hand, rather than paperwork, and make informed decisions to get homes built. This will support approvals, so bricks can be laid and homes built faster.
The tool also helps take detailed notes in meetings between social care workers and their supervisors, allowing workers to focus on offering more support instead of being bogged down by bureaucracy.
The trial comes alongside a push from the government to help local councils use technology to improve the dozens of essential services they are responsible for delivering to local residents – from planning approvals to housing, pest control and parking permits. It includes a new AI Knowledge Hub published today, sharing exciting examples of how local councils are using technology so others can learn from them, such as an AI assistant that speeds up the reporting of fly-tipping and graffiti in central London.
‘Minute’ is part of ‘Humphrey’, the package of AI tools built to help civil servants deliver for ministers and the public more effectively. It uses generative AI to turn meetings into notes and adds unique tools to help tweak and correct summaries more efficiently. Early tests of the technology in central government showed that officials were saved, on average, from one hour of admin per one hour meeting, with nearly half of them saying note-taking is the least enjoyable part of their job.
In the pilot, the tool helps local councils automate requirements for note-taking and record-keeping so officials can focus on helping residents more quickly.
“From parking permits and planning permission, local councils handle some of the services that impact our daily lives most. For too long, they have been left to fend for themselves when keeping up with rapid innovations in AI and digital technology, when we know it has huge potential to help solve many of the challenges they face,” said Feryal Clark (AI and Digital Government Minister)
“That’s why Humphrey, a suite of exciting AI tools built in my department, is being sent to townhalls to help them fast-track planning decisions, build 1.5 million homes and take meeting notes more quickly. This is just the first step as we are also going to work with local councils to help them buy and build the technology they need to deliver our Plan for Change and support their local communities more effectively.”
