The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has closed some internal AI pilots and redirected ethics guidance work to speed up progress on replacing outdated systems, which it called “our most urgent task”. It also paused its digital sourcing strategy.

The measures were outlined in a letter from Ian Murray, minister for digital government and data, to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. In the update on how DSIT is delivering its roadmap for modern digital government, published in January, Murray said the “strategic changes” had been made to “accelerate our support for the public”.

He wrote: “When aging government systems fail, it is the people who do not have a safety net who suffer the most. By sharpening our focus, we are ensuring that every citizen receives a faster, more dependable service that they can rely on during difficult times.”

AI pilots closed

The letter revealed that DSIT has closed internal AI pilots, including Parlex, a tool for searching and analysing decades of debate from the Houses of Parliament; Redbox, designed to help civil servants summarise policy and prepare briefings; Caddy, a chatbot for Citizens Advice advisers; and Medguard, a pharmacist support tool. The tools were launched in January 2025 as part of the Humphrey suite, named after the fictional Whitehall official made famous in the BBC drama Yes, Minister.

The letter said focus would shift to “frontline big bets”. Murray said that while these pilots “successfully showed how AI can improve workplace efficiency… several of these are now superseded by more modern, widely available platforms”.

Development will continue on tools which are deemed to have the highest public impact, such as Extract – for digitising historical planning documents automatically – and Consult, for analysing consultation responses.

“By closing these internal pilots and sharing our findings through the AI Knowledge Hub, we can redirect our expert teams to solve deep-rooted issues in areas like social housing and education,” Murray said.

Paused digital sourcing strategy

DSIT also said it was “pausing the Digital Sourcing Strategy” until early May 2026. The strategy was due to be published at the end of March and is expected to outline when the government should build things internally and when to buy from the market, and how to enable innovation through small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“We are moving our focus from writing new guidance for officials to the active work of the Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence,” said Murray. “This team is currently renegotiating major technology contracts to secure taxpayer savings, which we will reinvest into the digital foundations that keep frontline services running reliably.”

The letter did not say when the strategy might now be released.

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Refocused ethics guidance

The update also said that DSIT is “refocusing” the Data and AI Ethics Framework into the National Data Library. The framework provides guidance for public sector organisations on how to use data and data-driven technologies responsibly. DSIT announced over £100m in funding for the National Data Library programme in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The forthcoming National Data Library will aim to “maximise the use and impact of public sector data, enabling businesses, academia and the public sector to drive economic growth, innovation and better public services”.

“While the ethical guidance we produced remains a vital resource on GOV.UK, we are now prioritising the practical use of data for the common good,” Murray said. “This allows us to build the actual technical plumbing (the API Mandate) required for the National Data Library. For the citizen, this means their data is handled more securely and can be used more effectively to improve public services.”

Public impact

Murray highlighted other areas of work that are advancing “at pace”, including continuing the mandatory rollout of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard, and progressing with the refinement of the Government Digital and Data Pay Framework.

He also set out progress that has been made, including the launch of the new CustomerFirst unit within DSIT.

“Our primary duty is to deliver the biggest possible impact for the people of this country, and so that is where we now look to build on our work,” Murray concluded.

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