Public-sector AI should be treated as organisational change with technology inside it. The useful starting point is a clearly defined service or operational problem, supported by accountable ownership and evidence.
1. Understand current use
Begin by describing the current work, pressure and desired outcome in plain language. Teams should document assumptions, involve the right service, technology and governance colleagues, and agree how success and risk will be monitored.
2. Define acceptable boundaries
The approach should remain proportionate to the impact, information involved and people affected. Teams should document assumptions, involve the right service, technology and governance colleagues, and agree how success and risk will be monitored.
3. Assign clear accountability
The approach should remain proportionate to the impact, information involved and people affected. Teams should document assumptions, involve the right service, technology and governance colleagues, and agree how success and risk will be monitored.
4. Create proportionate review mechanisms
The approach should remain proportionate to the impact, information involved and people affected. Teams should document assumptions, involve the right service, technology and governance colleagues, and agree how success and risk will be monitored.
A practical next step
A readiness conversation can turn the topic into a bounded discovery exercise: establish the baseline, identify constraints, compare opportunities and select a first pilot only when the evidence supports it.
We don't start with technology. We start with the problem.