Civil servants who have used artificial intelligence tools for administrative tasks freed up two weeks a year in working time, according to a government trial that ministers said showed how the technology can achieve productivity gains across Whitehall. In the study, more than 20,000 officials used Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant over three months to help them draft documents, summarise meetings and prepare reports. These staff reported that they saved 26 minutes a day by using the tool. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s government said it was pushing to make £45bn in cost savings by modernising the public sector with digital services and cutting-edge AI. However, some experts have also warned that the technology still suffers glitches that may not make it suitable for official work. Ministers are also trying to attract overseas investment into the nascent AI sector by relaxing copyright laws, a move heavily criticised by the British creative industries groups. “AI is changing the way government operates, helping us work smarter, reduce red tape, and make better use of taxpayers’ money,” said technology secretary Peter Kyle while unveiling the results of the study during the SXSW London conference on Monday.

Full report : A UK government trial of 20K+ civil servants using Microsoft Copilot for three months found that they saved 26 minutes per day on average, or two weeks per year.