Following the news that The Reform thinktank said using websites and artificially intelligent “chat bots” could improve efficiency and save billions of pounds – but at huge cost for workers who lose steady jobs.
The technology could remove the need for some 130,000 Whitehall administrators – around 90% of the total – by 2030 and save £2.6bn a year in the process, the report said. IT security experts from Redwood Software and Ricoh UK commented below.
Neil Kinson, Chief of Staff at Redwood Software:
Chas Moloney, Director at Ricoh UK:
As the government presses ahead with its paperless agenda in areas such as the NHS, public sector decision makers should concentrate on skills development and training for employees adapting to new ways of working. There can be no complacency when it comes to improving the digital dexterity of the workforce and it’s vital that every effort is made to ensure workers are equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in new digital working environments.”