UK aims to quicken civil service with AI 'Humphrey'
LONDON

In hit 1980s British sitcom "Yes Minister," bureaucrat Humphrey Appleby did everything in his power to ensure that the wheels of the civil service turned slowly.
On Jan. 21, the U.K. government announced that artificial intelligence technology would be rolled out to speed up the work of mandarins and they are cheekily calling it Humphrey.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour administration said the AI tools would "make the civil service more efficient to turbocharge" his plans to change Britain.
A press release from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said Humphrey would improve public services and help reach 45 billion pounds ($55 billion) in savings.
"We will use technology to bear down hard to the nonsensical approach the public sector takes to sharing information and working together to help the people it serves," said Science Minister Peter Kyle.
One of the tools analyzes the thousands of responses the government receives to consultations. It then presents policy makers with the information.
The government said this work is currently carried out by consultants and analysts "who can take months to consolidate responses, before billing the taxpayer around 100,000 pounds every time."
Another will act as a transcription service for meetings, "producing customisable summaries in the formats that public servants need," the release said.
Other tools will help civil servants "summarise policy" and "prepare briefings," and provide officials with summaries of relevant laws.