Councils to use AI for preparing meeting minutes as part of Government trial
Local councils across the country are trialling a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool aimed at streamlining tasks in the planning process and social care, including note-taking.
The new tool called 'Minute' is part of the Government's package of AI tools named 'Humphrey', built to help civil servants deliver for ministers and the public more effectively.
Minute uses generative AI – which is similar to the technology used by ChatGPT – to turn meetings into notes and has unique tools to help tweak and correct summaries more efficiently.
In a press release announcing the pilot, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the technology could help speed up actions after planning committee meetings, allowing officers to focus on the task at hand rather than paperwork and make informed decisions to get homes built.
It also said that the tool helps take detailed notes in meetings between social care workers and their supervisors, allowing workers to focus on offering more support "instead of being bogged down by bureaucracy".
Early tests of the technology in central government showed that officials were saved, on average, from one hour of admin per one-hour meeting, with nearly half of them saying note-taking is the least enjoyable part of their job, the Government claimed.
Twenty-five councils are taking part in the programme, including West Berkshire Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.
AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark said the pilot was "just the first step" in helping councils build and buy the technology they need to deliver the Government's agenda and support their local communities more effectively.
Clark added: "From parking permits and planning permission, local councils handle some of the services that impact our daily lives most.
"For too long, they have been left to fend for themselves when keeping up with rapid innovations in AI and digital technology – when we know it has huge potential to help solve many of the challenges they face."
Adam Carey
