UK drafts AI to help Joe Public decipher its own baffling bureaucracy

The UK government has leapt into the AI hype with a raft of "Exemplar" programs it claims will deliver billions in value – including a Clippy-style assistant to help citizens navigate complex forms and legal jargon, rather than simply making them clearer in the first place.

"We can entirely rethink and reshape how public services help people through crucial life moments using the power of emerging AI technology," technology secretary Peter Kyle MP claimed in a statement on the plan. "Using agentic AI to its full potential, we could provide a level of service to citizens across the country that was previously unimaginable – helping people to find better career opportunities, avoid wasting their time on government admin, and more.

"We are asking the world's brightest AI developers to work in collaboration with our own brilliant AI teams as we test how valuable their latest tech can be in helping people ...