Why Have Governments Been Slow to Adopt AI?

The nature of AI adoption in government sectors across the world is revealing a complex picture of progress and challenges for the future of AI.

While some nations, such as India and Singapore, have made significant strides in integrating AI into public services, many others lag behind.

This slow uptake is not unique to the UK, which has been highlighted as a country particularly behind, as governments worldwide grapple with issues ranging from legacy infrastructure to ethical concerns.

Researching why government AI adoption has been slow, SAS, a global leader in data and AI, in partnership with Total Research, an information provider, surveyed 170 officials across government departments in a report titled "Data & AI in the UK government: Overcoming barriers and realising potential.”

The report reveals a slow uptake of AI technologies in the UK government, with issues from legacy systems to data issues being highlighted as core reasons.

We take a look at the findings and crucially why governments are struggling to adopt AI.

Barriers to AI adoption

The report indicates that only a small fraction of respondents in the UK report significant progress in key AI-related areas.

Approximately 22% of respondents noted substantial advancements in automation technologies, while 17% reported progress in machine learning and AI.

The adoption of generative AI, a cutting-edge technology that can create new content, lags even further behind at 12%.

The research identifies several factors contributing to this slow adoption:

Budget constraints
Budget constraints, particularly in the wake of global economic pressures, often relegate AI initiatives to the back burner.
67% of respondents cite cost and budget restrictions as the primary concern in the report.

Skills gap
According to the report, 63% point to a lack of internal technical knowledge or expertise.
The public sector frequently faces a skills gap, with difficulty attracting and retaining top AI talent in competition with private sector salaries.

Legacy systems
The impact of slow AI adoption in government can also be far-reaching, with 57% mentioning outdated IT infrastructure as a barrier in the report.

Data issues
More than half of the respondents (52%) in the report express concerns about data security, privacy and fragmented systems.

Data issues potentially hampers efficiency in public services, delays data-driven policymaking and could leave nations vulnerable in areas such as cybersecurity.
Moreover, data issues may widen the digital divide between countries that successfully leverage AI and those that do not.
Concerns about data privacy, algorithmic bias and the need for transparent and explainable AI systems, present ethical dilemmas that governments must navigate carefully.

Data quality
The balance between innovation and regulation remains a contentious issue globally and 45% cite non-standard records in the report, while 42% highlight the availability of high-quality data as significant problems.
In this context, the UK's experience with AI adoption in government offers valuable insights into the broader global challenges of digital transformation in the public sector.

Strategic vision vs. practical implementation

The slow uptake of AI also underscores a gap between the UK government's strategic goals and practical implementation.

Recently, the government has taken steps to enhance its digital capabilities by relocating key digital services to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Yet despite these efforts, the survey reveals a modest increase in prioritising AI-driven capabilities for automation, rising from 12% in 2022 to 22% in the latest report.

Nicola Furlong, Director for Public Sector, Health and Life Sciences at SAS, comments on the findings: "Enhancing efficiency and improving services to citizens are just two of the benefits AI can offer, but the integration of this technology in the public sector is lagging behind.

“It's clear that issues surrounding data privacy, security, and ethical AI are influencing how these technologies are implemented."

The path forward to utilise AI

To tackle the challenge of slow adoption of AI, the UK government has introduced the Functional Data Standard (FDS) to establish guidelines for robust digital and data initiatives.

Although the survey was conducted before the official launch of FDS, early awareness is encouraging, with 28% of civil servants aware of it, 14% having seen it and 3% actively reviewing it.

Patrick Haston, Head of Cloud Transformation at the Cabinet Office, emphasises the importance of these standards: "Compliance with the data standards enable data to be shared across government more easily, supports greater automation and provides opportunities to use AI more effectively.

“Surveys such as this provide valuable insight into levels of awareness and adoption."

As the UK government continues to navigate the complex landscape of AI adoption, addressing these challenges will be crucial to realising its digital ambitions and maintaining its position as a global technology leader.”

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