BBCGovernment employees will soon be given access to a suite of tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The tool is named after the scheming magistrate from the classic sitcom “Yes, Minister.”
The government says the assistant, called Humphrey, will “speed up the work of civil servants” and save money instead of cash that would have been spent on consultants.
But the decision to name the AI after Sir Humphrey Appleby, a man described as “evil and controlling”, raised eyebrows.
Tim Flagg, chief operating officer of trade body UKAI, said the name risked “undermining” the government’s mission to embrace the technology.
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is expected to announce further digital tools later on Tuesday, including two apps to store government documents such as digital driving licences.
The announcement is part of the government’s overhaul of digital services and follows last week’s announcement of the AI Opportunity Action Plan.
“For me, the name Humphrey is very much associated with the Machiavellian character in Yes, Minister,” said Flagg, from UKAI, which heads the AI sector.
“When people hear about that, people who are not in central Whitehall offices immediately think that this is not empowering or helpful to them.”
Most of the tools in the Humphrey suite are generative AI models (in this case, technologies that take large amounts of information and condense it into a more understandable format) for use by civil servants.
Among them is “Consult,” which compiles people’s responses to general information requests.
The government says this is currently carried out by expensive external consultants, charging taxpayers “around £100,000 each time”.
Regarding Parlex, which the government claims helps policymakers search past parliamentary debates on a particular topic, the Times reported that it could “predict how MPs will react, resulting in devastating “It is designed to avoid political controversy.”
Other changes announced include streamlining data sharing between departments.
“I think the government is doing the right thing,” Flagg said.
“They have some great developers, and I’m confident they’ll create a great product.”
