The UK Government’s high-profile commitment to train 400,000 civil servants in artificial intelligence appears to be facing delays, despite an ambitious pledge made just last month.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, had announced that civil servants across England and Wales would begin training this autumn to use the government’s new AI platform, ‘Humphrey’.
The initiative formed a key part of the Government’s wider strategy to modernise the public sector through digital transformation.
However, a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that the training programme is still under development, raising doubts about whether the Government will meet its autumn launch target.
According to the Cabinet Office, the AI training is still being “co-designed” with various departments, and no final costs have been determined. Officials also confirmed that the amount of time each civil servant will need to complete the training has yet to be established.
The lack of detailed planning and tracking has drawn criticism, particularly in light of the Government’s emphasis on transparency and performance monitoring. Despite repeated calls for progress dashboards to be made publicly available, there is currently no clear mechanism to track the rollout of this major AI skills initiative.
The proposed training programme is part of a broader push to integrate AI tools into the daily operations of government departments, aiming to boost productivity, streamline decision-making, and enhance service delivery.
While the Cabinet Office insists the rollout will begin later in the year, the absence of key details has raised concerns about the programme’s readiness and overall execution.
As the Government continues to position AI at the centre of its civil service reform agenda, the delay in delivering on one of its flagship promises may raise questions about the feasibility and pace of digital transformation within Whitehall.
