‘Lack of concrete plans’ on AI leave government exposed

To cut soaring £81bn public sector fraud bill, the National Audit Office (NAO) says the government must start using more AI for fraud investigations, but won’t give a figure on implementation costs

Fraud and error in the public sector cost the taxpayer between £55bn and £81bn in 2023-24 which the NAO said could be reduced if the government is to use data analytics could save the government and therefore the British taxpayer billions.

The government needs to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and start using it to identify ‘risky transactions’. It also noted how ‘tackling fraud and error is a good test case for new technologies’.

Some government departments are already using AI to combat fraud, such as HMRC, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Work and Pensions.

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