Government developers are saving the equivalent of 28 working days a year thanks to AI coding assistants, according to new trial results released today. The tools are helping more than 1,000 coders build technology faster, including innovations like Whitehall’s Humphrey AI assistant and new healthcare tech, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
The trial, which involved developers across 50 government departments, tested AI tools from Microsoft, GitHub Copilot, and Google Gemini Code Assist. The results show that AI assistants are helping to speed up coding, solve problems more efficiently, and boost productivity across the public sector.
Key Findings:
- Coders saved almost an hour per day using AI assistants
- 65% completed tasks faster, and 56% solved problems more efficiently
- 72% said the tools offered good value for their organisation
- 58% would prefer not to return to coding without AI support
- Only 15% of AI-generated code was used without edits, showing careful human oversight
Kanishka Narayan, Technology Minister, said:
“For too long, essential public services have been slow to use new technology – we have a lot of catching up to do. These results show that our engineers are hungry to use AI to get that work done more quickly, and know how to use it safely.
“This is exactly how I want us to use AI and other technology to make sure we are delivering the standard of public services people expect – both in terms of accuracy and efficiency. With a £45 billion jackpot at stake, it’s not an opportunity we can pass up, as it can help cut backlogs and save money.”
Most time savings came from using AI to draft code and review existing code, allowing engineers to focus on refining and improving outputs.
The trial is part of the government’s broader AI strategy, aimed at increasing adoption across the public sector and unlocking up to £45 billion in taxpayer savings by improving efficiency.
By accelerating development and reducing manual workloads, AI coding assistants are helping the UK remain at the forefront of technological innovation, while delivering tangible benefits for citizens through smarter, faster public services.
Image credit: iStock
