The UK is in charge of integrating AI into European public sector operations. According to a report by TechRadar on Thursday, a recent study by Capgemini revealed that 75% of UK public sector organizations are either already using or actively exploring generative AI. This figure significantly exceeds the global average of 64%.
However, with rapid AI integration comes growing concerns. Among UK public sector entities, 78% cited data security and sovereignty as major issues, 75% were concerned about AI’s environmental footprint, and 68% pointed to cost-related challenges. Despite these hurdles, the UK remains 11 percentage points ahead of the global average, and projections show that 90% of public institutions worldwide plan to implement agentic AI within the next two to three years. The UK government is expected to continue accelerating its AI initiatives accordingly.
Currently, AI adoption in the UK public sector is most prominent in defense (82%), healthcare (75%), and security (70%). Due to privacy and security concerns, most organizations favor commercial AI solutions over in-house development. Moreover, only 21% of public bodies reportedly possess sufficient data to train AI models effectively. Even fewer—just 12% and 7%, respectively—have reached a mature stage in AI and data utilization.
The UK government plans to expand its pool of AI specialists to address these gaps. Currently, 64% of public sector agencies have a Chief Data Officer (CDO), and 27% have appointed a Chief AI Officer (CAIO). By 2027, the government aims to increase those numbers to 88% and 68%, respectively.
Marc Reinhardt of Capgemini emphasized AI’s growing importance, stating, “AI is becoming a key technology for improving efficiency in the public sector. The government must strengthen its data infrastructure to unlock AI’s full potential.”