Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is expanding the use of artificial intelligence to support services, beginning with children’s services.
The issue was discussed during scrutiny of the twenty twenty six and twenty twenty seven budget for children’s services, where councillors questioned how AI is being used, how it will develop and how accuracy is tested before wider rollout across the authority.
Juliette Blake, director of children and social care, said the council currently spends around £60,000 on translation and confirmed AI will not be used on legal documents.
Sarah Chamberlain, director of IT and Programmes, said an initial governance process has been set up and each case is followed through and tested with services to ensure it is progressing effectively. She said the system is being piloted in a small area, with regular reviews, and if it is not appropriate “we stop that particular piece of work”. She added it is successfully achieving financial savings.
The proposed savings schedule indicates £20,000 will be saved in translation fees and £20,000 through a cross council AI translation agent.
Councillor Andy Martin said AI has the potential to streamline day to day tasks while supporting staff, not replacing them, and keeping their skills and judgement at the heart of council services.
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