100% of UK Government departments are now using AI – but only 30% going so far as to mandate staff to do so

• 63% of Government departments now have an AI strategy in place
• Number of departments under general instruction to use AI has tripled since last year
• But targets for cost savings still lack ambition

100% of UK Government departments are now using AI, up from 81% a year ago, shows new research conducted by Mattison Public Relations, the communications consultancy (based on responses from 30 Government departments*).

However, only 30% of Government departments have issued a general instruction to staff to use AI to improve productivity or service quality – up from 10% of Government departments last year.

The research found that 63% of Government departments (75% of ministerial departments) now have a formal AI strategy (up from 35% last year), with a further 13% saying that they plan to create an AI strategy. This leaves a significant proportion of departments without a formal AI Strategy.

Having an AI strategy in place is vital to ensure an organisation is developing its use of AI in a coordinated way. A robust strategy can help make sure that the right guardrails are in place and that ambitious but achievable targets for delivering savings and/or service improvements are agreed.

The Government has said that AI and broader digitisation of the public sector could deliver £45bn in annual savings – around 3.3% of public spending. However, this has not been expressed as a target, rather as what “could be achieved”.

Where some Government Departments have set targets for savings through AI (as opposed to automating or digitising processes) these targets are still relatively modest and the progress towards these targets is not easy to track. For example, HM Treasury aims to deliver budget savings of approximately 1.5% (net of investment) through AI and other automation by 2028-29.

It has been reported that the Government has awarded KPMG and EY contracts of up to £456 million to provide Civil Servants with skills training, including AI training.

Most of the more concrete proposals on savings from AI and other automation are held in the UK Government’s 2025 Spending Review published over a year ago in June 2025.

The NAO recently warned (July 15, 2026) that a potential impediment to the UKs Government’s plans to introduce greater use of AI is the challenge of securing sufficient specialist AI and other IT skills within the public sector.

Nick Mattison, Partner at Mattison Public Relations, says more ambitious target setting could help catalyse the adoption of AI in the public sector.

Nick Mattison comments: “It’s great that progress is being made but it is clear there is much more to be done, and there needs to be a lot of effort put into setting and communicating targets for savings.”

“Andy Burham’s new AI taskforce needs to move quickly if the push for AI in the public sector is to build momentum.”

“Most people would agree that the public sector needs to keep costs under control and to deliver improved services. An ambitious use of AI can deliver both.”

“The fact that only a third of departments mandate staff to use AI sends a clear message that the Government is still hesitant to integrate its use more fully into public sector working.”

The research found that 20% of departments are adopting the technology in some capacity in the recruitment process. Despite the potential for increased efficiency, there are risks associated, including perpetuating existing biases, digital exclusion, and discriminatory job advertising and targeting.

*Responses to the research were received by a total of 30 Government departments, comprising of 16 ministerial departments (such as the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Education and the Ministry of Defence) and and 14 non-ministerial departments.

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