Report: cross-agency survey of use cases for artificial intelligence (AI)

Survey process

The Government Digital Delivery Agency (GDDA) surveyed core Public Service agencies and selected wider public sector agencies on their AI use in .

This year, 59 organisations reported 545 AI use cases:

  • 432 AI use cases reported by 42 public service organisations
  • 113 AI use cases reported by 17 wider public sector organisations.

The number of reported use cases increased from 272 reported by 70 organisations in to 545 in , representing a 100% increase.

Current and planned government use of AI

Increase in AI use and maturity

In , there was a significant increase in the number of AI use cases:

  • reported by government organisations
  • in operational or deployment stages
  • that directly or indirectly support public services.

More than half of participating organisations reported 6 or more AI use cases, with an average of about 9 use cases per agency.

The sectors reporting the highest numbers of AI use cases include the social, justice, central agencies, health and finance sectors.

Deployed or operational AI use cases

Survey data shows a significant shift in AI use cases from the ‘planning and design’ to ‘operate and use’ stages.

For example, 167 cases were in the operational phases in , 3 times more than in . This indicates growing AI maturity and capability across the public service.

Areas AI technology is being used

AI improving productivity and supporting better public services

AI is being used across a wide range of government functions. The most common areas include administration, digital and technology functions, followed by communications, policy, project management, and corporate and human resources activities.

Generative AI was the most common AI technology used, followed by natural language processing, agentic AI, and machine learning.

What the survey results indicate

  • Momentum building across the system — with AI use cases more than doubling for the second year in a row.
  • AI maturity and capability are increasing — with more use cases now moving into deployment and operational stages.
  • Opportunities for collaboration and reuse — and significant potential for agencies to learn from one another and build on existing work that could benefit multiple agencies.

Benefits of government AI adoption

Surveyed agencies and public sector organisations reported a range of benefits, including:

  • improved employee experience — most use cases were intended to benefit government employees by supporting efficiency and back-office functions
  • operational efficiency — agencies reported that AI is helping streamline processes and reduce administrative effort
  • service delivery — more than half of all reported use cases also directly or indirectly support public-facing services.

Barriers to government AI adoption

Responding organisations reported that key barriers to AI use declined significantly for the first time. These barriers include staff capability, security and privacy issues, and lack of internal understanding or support for AI.

  • The most frequently reported barriers to AI adoption were consistent with previous years, including staff skills and capability, cost and funding, and security.
  • The results suggest progress is being made on long-standing barriers, supported by AI leadership, guidance and capability-building initiatives.
  • More complex challenges remain, particularly around public acceptance of government AI use, AI reliability and data sovereignty.

Next steps for the GDDA and public service

  • The GDDA will use the survey results to inform ongoing work to responsibly accelerate AI adoption in the Public Service.
  • These insights will help identify opportunities to accelerate progress and strengthen capability where it matters most.
  • Further analysis will identify promising opportunities for the GDDA to work with agencies on reuse and scaling of AI use cases across the system.

Examples of the GDDA support

Strong system leadership from the GDDA can help the public service achieve greater impact from AI adoption.

The GDDA is supporting agencies to adopt AI safely, responsibly, and effectively through the Public Service AI Work Programme. This includes:

  • leadership and coordination across government
  • practical guidance and resources
  • capability-building initiatives and training
  • communities of practice that connect agencies and share lessons learned.

More information

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