AI could replace thousands of civil service fraud detection jobs, minister says
The discussion in central London came against the backdrop of intense political focus on the Post Office scandal.
Artificial intelligence could replace thousands of civil service jobs in fraud detection, a Cabinet Office minister has said.
Alex Burghart also said the technology could become the “institutional memory” of Government departments with a high staff turnover.
The minister was discussing the ongoing work to look at where AI can be used to improve efficiency, detect fraud, reduce error and increase productivity in Whitehall.
Asked what this means for the civil service workforce, he told a Centre for Policy Studies event: “We may not need to employ thousands of people to do fraud detection in the future.
“I hope we don’t. I hope that that’s something that we can make infinitely easier and cheaper for the British public…
