Anthropic is to help build a pilot a dedicated AI assistant tool for public services in a UK Government trial – starting with job seekers.
The San Francisco-headquartered large language model (LLM) pioneer is to create an AI assistant to support people through ‘crucial life moments’, starting with job seekers, providing custom career advice and help to lock down a job.
The technology, which will be entirely optional, is part of a cutting-edge plan to use AI agents for national government services, with a pilot expected to begin later this year.
Today’s announcement comes as the government marks a week of focused action, showcasing how emerging technologies like AI are being put to work for the public good, benefitting hardworking people at the point of delivery.
It included the appointment of a group of AI ‘fellows’ who will spend the next year developing open‑source tools that tackle some of the biggest challenges facing public services.
In transport, they will harness AI to develop models which analyse images and videos, enabling councils to prioritise infrastructure repairs more effectively.
Specialists will develop cutting-edge AI solutions which run offline or within secured networks to support national security and defence teams to make vital decisions while safeguarding sensitive data.
A bold new vision for how tech will be used to help re-wire Whitehall will drive a further boost to the government’s digital transformation agenda. Launched in January 2025, the roadmap capitalises on the AI Opportunities Action Plan as it prepares to celebrate its first birthday, bringing the benefits of AI to the frontline of public services.
Minister for Data and Modern Digital Government, Ian Murray said: “Having met the fellows I know they will play a pivotal role in re-wiring our healthcare, police, transport systems and more, to make sure hardworking people benefit from the opportunities that only technologies like AI can deliver.
“A digital world needs a modern, digital government. That is why we are enlisting the homegrown talent we already have to elevate our public services.”
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is supporting the fellows initiative with a $1 million investment, delivered through the Alan Turing Institute.
Rob Sherman, VP, Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, Policy, at Meta said: “Meta is proud to help bring top British AI talent into government, fast-tracking the transformation of public services. Advanced AI is already woven into daily life – powering the UK’s economy, driving innovation, and enhancing quality of life for citizens. By placing AI experts at the heart of government institutions, we’re accelerating meaningful change and ensuring these benefits reach everyone.
Pip White, Head of UK, Ireland and Northern Europe at Anthropic, which has developed the Claude large language model, said: “We’re excited to partner with the UK government to help deliver on the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
“This partnership with the UK government is central to our mission. It demonstrates how frontier AI can be deployed safely for the public benefit, setting the standard for how governments integrate AI into the services their citizens depend on.”
