A new $1 million programme will bring the UK’s top AI experts into government to build cutting-edge AI tools, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology announced on Friday (11 July).
As part of the programme, fellows could join the government to build AI tools for high-security use cases across the public sector, such as language translation in a national security context, and making use of construction planning data to speed up the approvals process and get more homes built.
They could also help expand “Humphrey”, a bundle of AI tools that help civil servants more effectively deliver on the requests of ministers, taking away the admin burdens involved in summarising documents, taking notes and summarising consultation responses.
Fellows will be focused on using open-source AI models, which could reduce costs to the taxpayer when using AI widely, and help unlock up to £45 billion in productivity gains across the public sector.
The “Open-Source AI Fellowship” has been funded by a grant from Meta to the Alan Turing Institute, with fellows set to join DSIT’s Incubator for AI, the team behind “Humphrey.
“This Fellowship is the best of AI in action – open, practical, and built for the public good. It’s about delivery, not just ideas – creating real tools that help government work better for people,” said Technology Secretary Peter Kyle.
“We’ve already seen the potential. Caddy – developed with Citizens Advice and now helping Cabinet Office teams – shows how open AI tools can boost productivity, improve decision-making, and support frontline staff,” he said.
Kyse said that the goal of the Fellowship is to help scale that kind of impact across government, and develop sovereign capabilities where the UK must lead, like national security and critical infrastructure.
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