Across the UK's public sector, digital transformation is no longer a future goal, it's a daily necessity. From healthcare to local councils, teams are under growing pressure to deliver more, more efficiently. With Labour now in government, the focus must shift from AI hype to tangible, measurable outcomes that improve both public services and the lives of citizens.
AI adoption in the UK is already accelerating across the public sector. According to the National Audit Office, 70% of respondents in government bodies last year were piloting and planning AI use cases - and this number is only increasing.
Among recent innovations, agentic AI stands out for its potential to reshape public service delivery. Agentic AI doesn’t just assist users it acts on their behalf, it is like an invisible colleague, giving public sector workers time back to concentrate on higher-value tasks. For example, it can automatically draft responses to citizen inquiries, process routine paperwork, or generate policy briefs by summarizing large volumes of legislative and research data.
To see widespread adoption and demonstrate its immense potential to revolutionize UK public services, agentic AI cannot be locked behind expensive paywalls or complex integrations. Instead, it should be embedded into the platforms already used by millions quietly working in the background to remove friction and unlock capacity.
Head of Public Sector UK at Zoom.
Leveraging agentic AI to power the public sector
Built with four core agentic skills – reasoning, memory, task action, and orchestration – agentic AI uses these skills to complete tasks and act autonomously under human oversight to support public servants in their day-to-day work. Take the example of administrative overhead in healthcare, education, or local government - often the invisible weight negatively impacting productivity and morale. In roles like community health visits or social work, professionals frequently spend as much time on documentation as they do with people. With the help of agentic AI instead of spending time after each consultation writing up a report, agentic AI can do so in their place without asking. This means trained professionals can get on and do what they do best and trained for: supporting people.
Or imagine a local council meeting where decisions are made about community projects. With the help of agentic AI, the meeting's key points can be summarized instantly, action items can be identified, and follow-up communications can be drafted – automatically without manual intervention. Agentic AI can also analyze and develop content based on uploaded documents which can be a huge benefit for officials across the civil service and local government. Whether it's creating campaign briefs or drafting policy documents, agentic AI can help public servants get over the hurdle of producing a first draft, giving them more time to focus on strategic or higher-value initiatives during their day. In resource-constrained teams - common in the public sector - it’s like gaining an extra pair of hands.
With the right permissions, agentic AI can do much more than summarize meetings. It can even understand schedules and book meetings on team's behalf, under the user's discretion.
Agentic AI adoption is built on transparency
Technology is only part of the equation. For agentic AI to serve its purpose, adoption must be transparent, inclusive, and focused on solving real-world problems. Public trust is paramount, and any AI deployed in public services must meet high standards for privacy, bias mitigation, and accountability. That’s why implementation matters as much as innovation.
One of the most effective ways to implement agentic AI is by integrating it into tools that people already use every day. Whether it be for communication, collaboration, education, service delivery, or operations. These are the platforms and systems that employees, students, and citizens are already comfortable with. Embedding AI into these familiar environments builds user confidence, simplifies training and education, and accelerates adoption by meeting people where they are, rather than introducing entirely new workflows.
Crucially, being transparent isn’t just a matter of ethics, it’s a prerequisite for public trust. Building confidence in AI starts with inclusive design, rigorous governance, and a commitment to using these tools to solve real-world challenges. When citizens see that AI is being applied responsibly and with their interests in mind, it becomes more than a technological advance; it becomes a public asset.
A vision for the future
Agentic AI has the potential to reshape public services by automating routine tasks, supporting better decisions, and allowing frontline workers to focus on people rather than paperwork. It supports the broader goal of building a public sector that is more efficient, responsive, and centered around citizens’ needs.
To realize this vision, public-private collaboration will be essential. The public sector must continue to set the direction - anchored in fairness, transparency, and service to citizens - while tech providers must ensure that innovation is accessible, responsibly deployed, and truly supportive of the people on the frontlines.
Agentic AI is not a distant vision but rather a present opportunity. If embraced wisely, it can be the catalyst that powers Labour's vision for a reimagined, modernized public sector.
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