UK Government Invests £23 Million in AI to Enhance Benefit Claimant Support
UK Government Invests ~£23 Million in AI to Enhance Benefit Claimant Support When you call a public-service helpline, the hardest part isn’t always the question — it’s getting to the right person. One wrong option, one misunderstood sentence, and you’re bounced from queue to queue, repeating the same story. The UK government now wants AI to handle that first step more intelligently. TL;DR Plans involve a “conversational platform” to steer callers using everyday language (voice-first at the start). The budget being discussed is roughly £23m (the procurement estimate is about £19.47m ex-VAT / ~£23.37m inc-VAT). Best-case: fewer transfers, faster routing, and more time for staff to focus on complex cases. Big questions: privacy, mistakes with vulnerable callers, bias, and how humans stay in control. Jump by topic Sources What is “call steering”? How it...