Response to the Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee
Inquiry on the Digital Centre of Government
The University of Birmingham is at the forefront of interdisciplinary research and policy engagement in digital transformation, AI, and public sector innovation. Through initiatives such as the Centre for AI in Government, the Institute for Data and AI, and the GovTech Hub, we bring together experts from government, industry, and academia to explore how emerging technologies can drive more efficient, transparent, and citizen-centric public services. Our submission reflects our commitment to supporting evidence-based policymaking and ensuring that AI and digital technologies are deployed responsibly and equitably across government. We aim to highlight both the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation, drawing on our research and engagement with policymakers, public servants, and technology providers.
1. Benefits and Communication of the New Digital Centre
We welcome the launch of the new Government Digital Service (GDS) as the digital centre of government within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), following its alignment with the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), the Geospatial Commission, the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (i.AI), and other entities. This consolidation marks a practical step in unifying efforts to transform public services, ensuring that digital, data, and technology are leveraged effectively to benefit the British public.
We see synergies in a more dedicated one-stop shop for digital governance, not only in achieving cost efficiencies but also in accelerating and streamlining the UK’s digital transformation. Centralizing these capabilities has the potential to enhance coordination, drive innovation, and improve service delivery across government.
However, apart from structural consolidation, we hope that the new GDS will overcome the struggle with the same inefficiencies that have slowed past digital transformation efforts, including the need for sustained investment, talent acquisition, and structural incentives to drive meaningful and lasting change.
There is still a significant gap in procurement and funding reform. While the government’s commitment to outcomes-based funding and a more agile procurement model is a positive step, current procurement processes remain slow, bureaucratic, and risk-averse, making it difficult for startups and SMEs to compete for government contracts. To ensure the new Government Digital Service drives real innovation, the government must accelerate reforms to streamline procurement, foster stronger public-private partnerships, and create a more competitive GovTech ecosystem. Without these changes, the new GDS risks becoming another centralized bureaucracy rather than a true driver of digital transformation.
As the latest Public Attitudes to Data and AI Tracker Survey (December 2024) indicates that while awareness of AI and data in public services is growing, public awareness around digital transformation remains limited. However, another communication campaign should not be the priority. Instead, people need to experience the transformation firsthand through seamless, efficient, and functioning digital services. The focus should be on delivering real improvements—ensuring that people feel the change in their interactions with government services, rather than just hearing that change is coming. It is far better to underpromise and overdeliver, letting real improvements speak for themselves.
That said, AI is a different story. With widespread concerns and misunderstandings, there is a clear need for a nationwide social campaign to inform, engage, and address public fears about AI in a responsible way. However, this cannot be a government-led effort alone—it must be a collaborative initiative involving civil society, industry, the creative sector, teachers' unions, academia, and more. As AI reshapes every sector of society, the discussion around its risks, benefits, and ethical implications must be broad, inclusive, and transparent to ensure public trust and understanding.
2. Priorities for the Digital Centre of Government
The five "kickstarter" initiatives, including the GOV.UK App, digital wallet, AI-powered GOV.UK Chat, the AI accelerator program, and cybersecurity initiatives, establish a strong starting point for modernizing public services. The highest priority must remain on securing public data, ensuring digital identification is robust, and improving how government systems share information so that citizens can trust and confidently rely on digital services.
In addition, as AI plays an increasing role in public service delivery, addressing misinformation and ensuring the reliability of AI-driven systems should be a key priority. Computational approaches such as fact-checking algorithms, real-time misinformation detection, and AI-assisted public communication strategies can help combat digital misinformation and build public trust in government services.
The government’s Plan for Change clearly outlines healthcare and policing as top priorities, aligning with the public’s strong support for AI-driven advancements in these sectors (Public Attitudes to Data and AI Tracker Survey). Within the NHS, AI holds significant potential for early disease detection, personalised treatments, and streamlining administrative workloads, but declining public confidence in data security remains a pressing challenge. As digital solutions expand in law enforcement and crime prevention, there is public recognition of AI’s potential in crime detection and policing, but also concerns regarding surveillance, algorithmic bias, and civil liberties. The government must continue embedding transparency, ethical safeguards, and public engagement to ensure the adoption of AI in both the NHS and policing is balanced with accountability and trust.
However, some critical blind spots remain in the government’s approach to digital transformation. Education and social services, for instance, lack a clear digital strategy despite their potential for modernization. AI could significantly improve personalized learning, reduce administrative burdens on teachers, and expand digital accessibility for students, yet data privacy concerns in schools remain unresolved. Similarly, social services stand to benefit from digital tools that streamline benefit applications, reduce fraud, and improve accessibility, but digital exclusion among vulnerable populations is still a major issue. Without targeted digital inclusion initiatives and a commitment to ensuring fair access to digital services, these gaps risk widening existing inequalities rather than closing them
3. Lessons for DSIT from Global and UK Experiences
One critical insight from past experience in the UK is that simply digitizing existing processes is not enough—the government must move toward automated, real-time services that prioritize efficiency and accessibility, as highlighted in the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government (January 2025). The fragmentation of digital services across departments has been a persistent barrier, leading to inefficiencies, duplication, and poor user experiences. Countries that have excelled in this space—such as Estonia, Ukraine, and Malaysia—have demonstrated that a whole-of-government approach, investment in foundational digital infrastructure, and citizen engagement are critical for success.
Additionally, citizen engagement must be central to digital transformation efforts. Countries leading in GovTech have actively involved citizens in co-designing digital services, ensuring that innovations meet real user needs. This means regular public consultation, transparency in AI decision-making, and clear accountability measures for digital service performance. Without these steps, the UK risks repeating past mistakes—modernizing services in isolation rather than building a truly integrated, user-focused digital government.
Meanwhile, Germany has developed a “GovTech Marketplace”, a centralised platform where government agencies can discover, test, and adopt innovative digital solutions from startups, private companies, and research institutions. A key pillar of this initiative is the GovTech Campus Deutschland, a dedicated hub that fosters public-private collaboration, hands-on experimentation with emerging technologies, and digital skills development among civil servants. By providing a structured environment for testing and scaling AI-driven automation, cybersecurity solutions, and digital identity systems, Germany is ensuring that its public sector remains agile and future-ready. This model enables efficient procurement, faster adoption of cutting-edge solutions, and a more responsive public administration. The UK could learn from Germany’s approach by establishing a similar GovTech hub, where startups, academia, and policymakers collaborate to drive real-world improvements in public service delivery while ensuring that solutions are secure, scalable, and aligned with public needs.
The University of Birmingham is ready to lend support, having launched a GovTech Hub pilot initiative (https://www.govtechhub.co.uk/) that could be scaled for nation-wide activities. This initiative presents an opportunity to create a dedicated space for innovation, rapid prototyping, and knowledge exchange, ensuring that the UK leverages academic expertise, industry capabilities, and government leadership to build a world-class digital public sector.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has established the Global Government Technology Centre, a platform designed to foster international collaboration, share best practices, and accelerate digital transformation within governments worldwide. The UK should actively engage with this initiative, ensuring it remains at the forefront of global GovTech advancements while benefiting from the expertise and innovations of other leading digital nations. Similarly, the UK can learn from digital transformation successes across the Commonwealth, where member states have pioneered AI-driven public services, digital identity systems, and data governance frameworks. By fostering collaboration with these global partners, the UK can enhance its own digital strategy, drive innovation in cybersecurity and AI regulation, and position itself as a key player in shaping the future of digital governance.
4. Barriers & Infrastructure Needs for a Digital Centre
A major barrier is the shortage of digital skills and leadership within the public sector. The government has acknowledged that digital expertise is unevenly distributed, with many senior leaders lacking the necessary training to lead digital-first organisations (Blueprint for Modern Digital Government). Without a strong understanding of emerging technologies, data governance, and AI-driven transformation, policymakers and department heads struggle to implement effective digital strategies, navigate procurement challenges, and ensure the long-term sustainability of new solutions. The lack of digital expertise within the public sector, particularly in AI, has slowed the pace of digital reform, increased reliance on external consultants, and hindered the UK’s ability to build a truly integrated digital government.
Moreover, talent retention remains a critical challenge, as the public sector struggles to compete with private industry for top digital specialists. High salaries, flexible career paths, and access to cutting-edge technology make the private sector far more attractive to AI engineers, cybersecurity experts, and digital service designers. Without a clear government-wide strategy for digital upskilling, recruitment of specialised talent, and leadership development, GDS risks being constrained by outdated mindsets and a lack of technical expertise at decision-making levels.
Recognizing skill gaps at both the management and operational levels, the University of Birmingham is enhancing its education offerings to equip public sector professionals with the essential knowledge and skills for AI adoption. The upcoming executive education program for mid- and senior-level officials will provide a timely pathway for both existing and future workforces into the AI profession. This initiative will focus on GovTech solution design, the long-term sustainability of digital initiatives, and the strategic application of emerging technologies. By embedding digital literacy, AI literacy and leadership training into public sector development programs, the government can ensure decision-makers at all levels are prepared to design, implement, and sustain a future-proof digital government.
5. Ensuring Equitable Access to Digital Public Services
The State of Digital Government Review highlights that while digital services have improved, many remain fragmented and fail to meet accessibility standards, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups. To truly modernize the public sector and ensure equitable access, GDS must prioritize digital inclusion, interoperability, and user-centered design.
A major barrier to digital accessibility is that many government services are not designed with all users in mind. The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations were introduced to address this, but seven years later, many government websites and services still fall short of accessibility requirements. To overcome this, GDS should implement strict accessibility standards, real-time usability testing, and multilingual support to accommodate users with disabilities, non-native English speakers, and those with limited digital literacy. Additionally, AI-driven assistive technologies—such as text-to-speech features and chatbot guidance—should be integrated to make digital interactions easier for those who need additional support.
Addressing Digital Exclusion and Affordability: In addition, while digital transformation is critical, not all citizens have reliable internet access or the necessary digital skills to navigate online services. As of October 2024, an estimated 1.6 million UK households struggled to afford their mobile phone service, while 1.9 million households faced difficulties affording fixed broadband at home (Ofcom). The Government should increase awareness of broadband social tariffs, as currently less than two-thirds of eligible households are aware of this support. However, social tariffs alone will not make internet access affordable for all, with the Government acknowledging that up to 1 million households may remain unable to afford connectivity at any price. As part of its Digital Inclusion Plan, the Government should consider replicating the Biden Administration’s FCC Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided discounts covering broadband costs for eligible households. Additionally, the UK must expand its digital inclusion initiatives, such as community-based digital skills training programs, free public Wi-Fi hubs, and device distribution for low-income households. Non-digital alternatives—such as paper applications, phone support, and in-person service centers—must also remain available to ensure that citizens who cannot access digital platforms are not excluded from essential services.
By learning from global leaders in GovTech, such as Estonia, Ukraine, Malaysia, and Rwanda, the UK can ensure that digital transformation benefits all citizens—not just those who are already digitally connected. By eliminating digital barriers, enhancing interoperability, and maintaining non-digital service options, the government can create a system where every citizen—regardless of their background or technical ability—can access the public services they need. This will not only enhance trust in digital governance but also contribute to a more efficient, responsive, and people-centered government.
Contact and Lead Author:
Dr. Martin Wählisch, Associate Professor, Center for AI in Government, School of Government and School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham
03 March 2025
Contributors to this written evidence submission (in alphabetical order):