The UK government recently announced the launch of an artificial intelligence tool called "Consult," which will be used to quickly analyze public feedback on government consultations. This marks the first time the tool has been utilized in such a capacity, with the aim of saving costs and personnel time. Initially, the Consult tool was applied by the Scottish government for a public opinion solicitation on the regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as lip fillers.
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According to the government's statement, Consult can complete the same work at human speed, and its analysis results are identical to those obtained by human officials. The government stated that it plans to use this tool more widely in the future to review feedback from other public consultations, while it is still under further development.
When reviewing over 2,000 pieces of public feedback, the Consult tool successfully identified key themes, which were subsequently verified and refined by experts from the Scottish government. This tool is part of the UK government’s new AI toolkit called "Humphrey." The government claims that this tool will accelerate work within Whitehall and reduce consultation expenditures. It is estimated that this tool could save taxpayers £20 million annually and save government officials approximately 75,000 hours of work across the 500 public consultations conducted each year.
Michael Rovatsos, a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, noted that while Consult holds significant potential benefits, it is important to be aware of the risks of AI bias. He believes that, in principle, humans should always be involved in reviews, but in practice, staff may not have enough time to verify each one individually, potentially leading to bias. Additionally, he pointed out that malicious actors domestically and internationally might influence the fairness of AI by providing inappropriate prompts.
Rovatsos further stated that for the system to be safe and robust, the government needs substantial upfront investment and learning. He warned that while the launch of Consult seems like a quick cost-saving solution, the government needs to put in more effort during implementation to achieve this goal.
Technology Minister Peter Kyle stated when introducing Consult that this tool would save taxpayers "millions" of pounds. He emphasized that the advantage of AI is to improve efficiency rather than waste time on tasks that could be completed faster by AI. Kyle stated that with the implementation of Consult, the government will accelerate its work processes in the coming months.
Currently, the Consult tool is still in the trial phase, and no specific implementation date has been set. However, it is expected that the tool will be deployed in government offices by the end of 2025.
Key Points:
📊 This AI tool "Consult" will accelerate the analysis of feedback from government public consultations, saving time and costs.
💰 The government estimates that using Consult could save taxpayers £20 million annually.
🔍 Experts point out that there is a risk of AI bias, and the safety and robustness of the system need to be strengthened.