UK Government department to use AI in benefits claims (www.techradar.com)

Britain's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced plans for a significant four to six-year project to deploy conversational AI in benefits call centers, aiming to streamline operations and enhance the claimant experience. With an increase of 2.4 million benefit claimants from May 2019 to 2023, the DWP is looking to mitigate the pressure on human staff, who faced unnecessary workloads amounting to over 31.6 million avoidable call minutes in 2022-2023. The DWP's revised budget for this initiative is £23.4 million, reflecting a serious commitment to technological integration. The project seeks to implement a natural language processing system capable of understanding citizen queries and effectively routing calls to the appropriate human agents or providing self-service options. This AI initiative not only promises cost savings and improved efficiency but also aligns with strict compliance standards, including GDPR and HMG's Security Policy Framework. With the procurement phase underway and a timeline extending to 2032, this initiative marks a pivotal shift in how the UK government addresses the rising demand for benefits support, reflecting broader ambitions for technological reform across its operations.