The UK government is teaming up with Meta to launch a new $1 million program aimed at bringing AI engineering experts on board to develop tools for the public sector.
Led by the Alan Turing Institute, the new Open-Source AI Fellowship will allow engineers and developers to apply for a 12-month “tour of duty” with the government to develop tools across an array of public sector use-cases.
This could include the creation of AI-powered language translation tools, Downing Street revealed, or solutions that use construction planning data to speed up housing development approvals processes.
Elsewhere, the government said participants in the scheme could also help expand “Humphrey”, a suite of AI tools used by civil servants to reduce manual toil and improve productivity.
The fellowships will begin in January 2026, with applicants urged to register their interest ahead of applications going live next week.
Notably, the program will primarily focus on using open source AI models such as Meta’s Llama 3.5 range to create new solutions.
Technology secretary Peter Kyle said the program aims to develop AI solutions that are “open, practical, and built for public good”.
“It’s about delivery, not just ideas – creating real tools that help government work better for people,” he said.
Kyle noted that the government has “already seen the potential” of using AI in public sector use cases, particularly with Caddy.
Developed with Citizens Advice and now used by Cabinet Office teams, the AI customer service assistant is being used at six Citizen’s Advice centers across the country.
The tool helps solve queries for staff on a range of issues, from managing debt to seeking legal advice or information on consumer rights. So far, the tool has proved beneficial for workers, with early testing showing it can halve response times.
“The Fellowship will help scale that kind of impact across government, and develop sovereign capabilities where the UK must lead, like national security and critical infrastructure,” Kyle added.
Joel Kaplan, chief global affairs officer at Meta, said harnessing open source AI tools has the potential to “transform the delivery of public services” – a sentiment echoed by Dr Jean Innes, CEO of the Alan Turing Institute.
“Open source technologies have great potential to help government increase productivity, support decision-making and deliver better public services,” Innes said.
“These fellowships will offer an innovative way to match AI experts with the real world challenges our public services are facing.”
Drawing on big tech support
The announcement comes just days after Kyle told attendees at a London conference the government plans to draw upon big tech companies to help drive innovation across public services.
Speaking at the Google Cloud Summit London, Kyle revealed the government is working with the hyperscaler to tackle long-running problems with legacy technology across the public sector, describing legacy systems as a “ball and chain”.
As part of the move, the government will work alongside Google Cloud to migrate services to the cloud. This, he noted, will allow public sector organizations to easily adopt cutting-edge technologies and drive efficiency.
Kyle has been an outspoken advocate of closer collaboration with big tech since the Labour government came into office in 2024 – and the Google Cloud conference saw him double down on this approach.
“My message to tech companies is clear: bring us your best ideas, bring us your best tech, and bring it at the best price,” he told attendees. “And in return, you’ll receive access to the biggest client in the country. One that will be increasingly intelligent and increasingly digital.”
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