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| Yes, Minister character is government's new AI assistant | Yes, Minister character is government's new AI assistant |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Sir Humphrey Appleby was played by Sir Nigel Hawthorne in Yes, Minister | Sir Humphrey Appleby was played by Sir Nigel Hawthorne in Yes, Minister |
| Government workers will soon be given access to a set of tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI), named after a scheming parliamentary official from the classic sitcom Yes, Minister. | Government workers will soon be given access to a set of tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI), named after a scheming parliamentary official from the classic sitcom Yes, Minister. |
| The government says the assistants - called Humphrey - will "speed up the work of civil servants" and save money by replacing cash that would have been spent on consultants. | The government says the assistants - called Humphrey - will "speed up the work of civil servants" and save money by replacing cash that would have been spent on consultants. |
| But the decision to name the AI after Sir Humphrey Appleby, a character described as "devious and controlling", has raised eyebrows. | But the decision to name the AI after Sir Humphrey Appleby, a character described as "devious and controlling", has raised eyebrows. |
| Tim Flagg, chief operating officer of trade body UKAI, said the name risked "undermining" the government's mission to embrace the tech. | |
| Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle will announce more digital tools later on Tuesday, including two apps which will store government documents, including digital driving licences. | |
| The announcement is part of the government's overhaul of digital services and comes after their AI Opportunities Action Plan announced last week. | The announcement is part of the government's overhaul of digital services and comes after their AI Opportunities Action Plan announced last week. |
| "Humphrey for me is a name which is very associated with the Machiavellian character from Yes, Minister," says Mr Flagg from UKAI, which represents the AI sector. | "Humphrey for me is a name which is very associated with the Machiavellian character from Yes, Minister," says Mr Flagg from UKAI, which represents the AI sector. |
| "That immediately makes people who aren't in that central Whitehall office think that this is something which is not going to be empowering and not going to be helping them." | "That immediately makes people who aren't in that central Whitehall office think that this is something which is not going to be empowering and not going to be helping them." |
| Most of the tools in the Humphrey suite are generative AI models - in this case, technology which takes large amounts of information and summarises it in a more digestible format - to be used by the civil service. | Most of the tools in the Humphrey suite are generative AI models - in this case, technology which takes large amounts of information and summarises it in a more digestible format - to be used by the civil service. |
| Among them is Consult, external, which summarises people's responses to public calls for information. | Among them is Consult, external, which summarises people's responses to public calls for information. |
| The government says this is currently done by expensive external consultants who bill the taxpayer "around £100,000 every time." | The government says this is currently done by expensive external consultants who bill the taxpayer "around £100,000 every time." |
| Parlex, external, which the government says helps policymakers search through previous parliamentary debates on a certain topic, is described by The Times, external as "designed to avoid catastrophic political rows by predicting how MPs will respond". | Parlex, external, which the government says helps policymakers search through previous parliamentary debates on a certain topic, is described by The Times, external as "designed to avoid catastrophic political rows by predicting how MPs will respond". |
| Other changes announced include more efficient data sharing between departments. | Other changes announced include more efficient data sharing between departments. |
| "I think the government is doing the right thing," says Mr Flagg. | "I think the government is doing the right thing," says Mr Flagg. |
| "They do have some good developers - I have every confidence they are going to be creating a great product." | "They do have some good developers - I have every confidence they are going to be creating a great product." |
| Jim Hacker Gets the Call - from Yes, Minister | Jim Hacker Gets the Call - from Yes, Minister |