AI can significantly reduce time spent on government tasks, freeing up time and capacity and boosting productivity.
This report describes a trial of 20,000 civil servants in the United Kingdom (UK), showing they could save nearly two weeks each annually by using the technology. This is the equivalent of giving 1,130 people a full year back, every year, to focus on higher-value tasks, innovation or public service impact, rather than admin-based work. There is potential for this to rise significantly if used across the entire civil service, transforming productivity and public service delivery at scale.
The trial found that using generative AI such as Microsoft 365 Copilot to assist with everyday tasks such as drafting documents, summarising lengthy emails, updating records and preparing reports saved users an average of 26 minutes per day. This forms part of the UK Government’s broader effort to modernise the state and achieve £45 billion in savings by making public services faster, simpler, and more accessible.
