Local councils are harnessing the power of AI by helping people in their homes, such as identifying when pensioners have a fall, stop people falling into rent arrays, to give people bigger bins, and to help them find jobs in social care, according to new data published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The new data follows the technology secretary setting out a roadmap for the future of AI for public sector services, helping to save £45 billion. The plan will see a new team, based in the DSIT, join up public services so the public don’t have to tell dozens of organisations the same thing. The team will start with looking at services used by those with long term health conditions, such as the NHS, Department for Work and Pensions, and local councils.
Following a trip to see the Tech Enabled Care solution in Sutton, AI and digital government minister Feryal Clark said: “AI has immense potential to make our lives easier and improve public service. The technology we are together sharing with the public today includes shining examples of innovation that does everything from speeding up crucial applications for bigger bins, to helping people live independently.
“Being transparent with the detail of how we are putting AI to work in public services is crucial to our plans to use technology to improve public services, which is a key part of our Plan for Change.”
Other initiatives include AI-enabled fridge sensors and connected kettles are that are being used to detect changes in the daily routines of vulnerable people that could signal a fall or a decline in health. This is all thanks to technology being pioneered by the London Borough of Sutton.
These sensors work to spot changes in behaviour, such as missing meals, skipping cups of tea or whether a door has been open for too long, before AI analysis is used to detect whether something might be wrong. An alert is then sent to family members or careers to offer more support if needed.
Among the records today, several councils are shown to have harnessed AI to help vulnerable members of society, such as a initiative in West Berkshire Council so help resident get a bigger black bin more quickly should they be eligible.
For the full list of records, click here.
