AI adoption in UK public sector hampered by digital skills gap

New research from Nexthink indicates that a lack of employee readiness to adopt and confidently use artificial intelligence (AI) may jeopardise public sector investment in the UK.

The survey of 220 public sector IT decision makers reveals that 96% of IT leaders believe the ongoing wave of AI-driven transformation will increase digital friction for employees, with only 47% of public sector workers considered to have the digital dexterity necessary to adjust to technological change. The findings also show that 93% of IT leaders expect staff to feel daunted by new technologies, particularly those powered by generative AI.

As the UK government increases emphasis on embedding AI technologies throughout the public sector, there is heightened pressure to modernise government services and display digital leadership. Whitehall's recently released AI Playbook for the UK Government and the AI Opportunities Action Plan urge departments to accelerate AI experimentation and adoption. However, 43% of public sector IT leaders disclosed challenges in determining the exact monetary value of their AI investments, and 96% seek to improve their ability to identify underperforming investments.

Concerns are mounting that without sufficient digital skills among civil servants and clear visibility into the value and impact of AI, many initiatives risk stalling at the pilot stage or eroding public trust in government-driven AI innovation.

"The UK government is dealing with two competing challenges," said Shantanu Singh, Public Sector Lead, UK&I at Nexthink. "On the one hand, there is an obligation to provide consistent, uninterrupted public services while at the same time, they are supposed to transform, digitally modernise and adopt new technologies. This is a phenomenally tricky balancing act and one that's impossible if civil servants themselves are struggling with substandard digital experiences."

The Nexthink research highlights the increasing volume of applications anticipated within government departments, with IT leaders forecasting a 44% increase over the next three years. Additionally, 71% of those surveyed stated that their organisation introduces a new application, tool, or platform every month. Yet, the scale of these changes poses challenges for support: 68% of IT leaders reported that there are too many users in their organisation to provide adequate support for everyone during the rollout of new technologies.

This lack of support during application rollouts is associated with diminished productivity (65%), reduced collaboration (54%), more frequent IT support tickets (47%), and higher employee dissatisfaction (45%).

Recognising these obstacles, almost all public sector IT leaders surveyed (98%) said they need to enhance digital adoption support to help employees adapt to AI, and 96% emphasised the growing importance of tailored digital employee experience (DEX) insights. Improved digital dexterity was linked by IT leaders to several benefits, including faster adoption of new tools (46%), enhanced innovation (40%), and increased productivity (37%).

"The public sector is under immense cost pressure and it's vital for every department make the most out of their IT investments and unlock higher Civil Servant productivity," Singh added. "Without clear visibility and insight into the user experience, it's simply not possible. With all departments going through such intense digital transformation, it's essential to have good DEX metrics in place to drive adoption of new tools as well as identifying and removing cultural or technological barriers to public services efficiency."