The government must urgently enhance the digital skills of civil servants to effectively utilise artificial intelligence (AI), according to a warning from Members of Parliament. A new report published by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday indicates that digital advancement gaps within government departments are causing service backlogs, inefficiencies, and poorer outcomes for citizens.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, chair of the PAC, stated that the government cannot expect civil servants to become more productive simply by acquiring AI platforms. He emphasised the need for active upskilling to ensure AI is used safely and effectively to transform services for citizens. The report, titled “Smarter Delivery of Public Services,” advocates for a clearer digital skills framework across the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP), which comprises over half of the civil service’s 290,000-strong workforce. It cautions that without targeted upskilling, departments might rely on “elite crisis teams” as a temporary solution for broader adoption challenges.
Gareth Oldale, head of data privacy and cybersecurity at law firm TLT, noted that while the recommendation to upskill civil servants is helpful, it is unsurprising. The public sector faces the challenge of doing more with less, whether in law enforcement using AI to combat cybercrime or in healthcare for diagnosing conditions. Despite the significant benefits, the skills gap remains substantial. Oldale added that competition for top AI talent is intense, necessitating a balance between recruiting tech experts and upskilling existing staff. He also highlighted the public sector’s responsibility to enforce responsible AI use across industries, requiring regulators to possess the same expertise to hold others accountable.
The report comes after months of debate on modernising the UK’s civil service and responsibly integrating AI. Recent evaluations by the Department for Business and Trade found that pilots of Microsoft’s M365 Copilot tool saved time but did not yield measurable productivity gains, highlighting concerns about tech adoption without foundational data and skills strategies. Research by Pluralsight revealed that while 95% of UK business leaders consider tech upskilling a strategic priority, half of employees report lacking time for training. It also found that nearly half of AI projects in 2025 were abandoned midway due to skill shortages.
Toby Hough, vice president of people and culture at HiBob, argued that if the UK aspires to become an AI “superpower,” investment must focus not only on technology but also on the people using it. The primary challenge is educational, not technological. Providing the necessary tools, training, and confidence will enable AI to become a catalyst for productivity and growth.
Progress also depends on strengthening the UK’s National Data Strategy, last updated in 2022, to ensure government data is interoperable, secure, and usable by AI systems. Without these measures, pilot projects risk remaining isolated and unscalable.
