Source: The Register: Biting the hand that feeds
Britain's new AI assistant, trained on GOV.UK documentation, cuts costs by replacing human staff with faster automated responses. The move exposes a real tension in public sector modernization: automated systems handle routine queries efficiently, but they also erode the human touchpoints that catch edge cases, build trust, and allow citizens to escalate beyond scripted responses. Budget pressure is forcing departments to choose between maintaining staffing levels and deploying cheaper alternatives.