AI Week: DWP reaps robotic rewards

Government's largest department is among Whitehall's most forward-thinking in its use of robotics and automation. The Department for Work and Pensions established its Intelligent Automation Garage (IAG) in 2017. The goal of the unit, which is based across the DWP's Manchester and Newcastle offices, was exploring how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation could best be used to improve the department's operations. The DWP believed that automating certain processes could improve productivity and outcomes, and free up staff time to be dedicated to things other than fulfilling administrative tasks. As of February 2019, the department had implemented automation in 15 processes and was planning to launch another 11 automations over the course of this year.