Promoting a test-and-learn approach across the public sector through the Prime Minister’s AI Exemplars
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is helping public sector teams adopt AI by testing real use cases through the Prime Minister’s AI Exemplars Programme. Teams across the sector will learn how they can trial and scale AI solutions quickly that improve services and support the people who deliver them.
Our goal
The potential benefits of AI for public services are tested and scaled rapidly, and teams across the public sector are empowered to solve major challenges and deliver value for users.
What this means for you
Whether this initiative applies depends on the service and where it’s available – England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, or across the UK.
- Smarter, faster and more joined-up services: exemplar teams’ AI solutions will help improve your experiences across the NHS, tax, education and more. As the test-and-learn approach is adopted more widely across the sector, you’ll see improvements to a range of different services.
- Access to a wealth of experience: if you work in the public sector, you’ll have access to a wealth of experience to help you adopt a test-and-learn approach to AI. By learning about the exemplar teams’ methods, lessons and successes, you can find inspiration to solve complex problems in your own area using AI technologies.
Our progress so far
May 2025: launched AI exemplars across central and local government
Launched a portfolio to track and promote key AI projects that use a scaled approach to learn how AI can improve users’ experiences of public services. This will be used to monitor and promote the potential of taking an agile approach to designing technological solutions in the public sector.
August 2025: supported AI exemplar projects to test and scale
Pilot projects included AI tools to support planning decisions, improve tax compliance, assist probation casework and help NHS staff discharge patients. Projects now being scaled more widely include tools to find and understand content on GOV.UK, improve education content and diagnose health conditions. By transforming services in a responsible and considered way, these projects are already showing their potential to deliver wide-scale impact across public services.
October 2025: piloting and sharing AI Capability best practices
GDS launched a new support model to help one of the exemplars deploy and adopt AI effectively by the provision of technical capabilities. We’ll learn this from the first rollout, refine our approach and then apply those lessons when supporting the other exemplars. We’ll then share those learnings across the civil service and public sector organisations to increase the understanding of how to adopt AI at scale.
December 2025: AI Playbook and advice on incorporating AI
GDS added the AI Playbook and advice for public sector decision makers on how to incorporate AI in their organisations to the intra-government AI knowledge hub.
What we’re planning to do next
March 2026: review effectiveness of AI capability model
GDS will review the effectiveness of the AI capability model after a four-month pilot period. The findings will influence how the capability model is used elsewhere in government.
More information
For more information about this work, visit gov.uk/guidance/ai-exemplars-programme.