The UK government is set to invest billions in artificial intelligence, yet a significant delivery gap remains. Research from the 2026 UK Public Sector AI Adoption Outlook reveals that while 67% of public servants are optimistic about AI’s potential, only 11% believe their organisations are fully equipped to leverage it. More critically, both citizens and public sector workers agree on a core prerequisite: existing processes must be fixed before AI can succeed.
- Fixing the foundations first: Addressing why 55% of public servants and 56% of citizens agree that modernising basic processes is the essential prerequisite for any successful technology deployment.
- The intelligence transparency deficit: Practical strategies for meeting the 80% citizen demand for notification and oversight, ensuring technology remains an auditable and trusted part of service delivery.
- From experimentation to ROI: Moving away from using AI as a "bolt-on" experiment or standalone tool—which currently account for 45% of its applications—and shifting focus to the high-volume back-office processes where measurable impact is highest.
- The AI disconnect: When leadership conviction outpaces operational readiness—understanding why those closest to delivery hold the keys to success, and how executives can better engage with frontline complexity to drive meaningful, lasting change.
Join us for this roundtable bringing together senior leaders to explore how to bridge the AI capability gap—noted by 9 in 10 workers who feel their organisations cannot yet fully leverage AI. Together, we’ll explore how anchoring technology in the foundational workflows that drive government operations can help move organisations beyond isolated experimentation toward a process-first approach to transformation.
