{"id":36256,"date":"2025-09-05T11:14:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T10:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/?p=36256"},"modified":"2025-09-12T09:24:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T08:24:05","slug":"ai-cant-fix-a-broken-foundation-heres-how-tackling-government-legacy-unlocks-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/ai-cant-fix-a-broken-foundation-heres-how-tackling-government-legacy-unlocks-it\/","title":{"rendered":"AI can\u2019t fix a broken foundation \u2013 here\u2019s how tackling government legacy unlocks it"},"content":{"rendered":"

The government\u2019s AI ambition is clear. It wants the public sector to prioritise the adoption of this burgeoning tech.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The AI Opportunities Action Plan mentioned the need to \u201cpush hard on cross-economy AI adoption\u201d and urged the public sector to \u201crapidly pilot and scale AI products and services.\u201d It\u2019s an understandable demand \u2014 AI is seen as a key driver for economic growth and improved public services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do organisations have the strong digital foundations and high-quality data needed for AI to learn from? And how do legacy technology and manual processes undermine these necessary foundations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A report earlier in the year by the Public Accounts Committee warned that out\u2013of\u2013date legacy technology and the poor quality of data and data sharing in the public sector puts AI adoption in the public sector at risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAI relies on high quality data to learn, but too often government data is of poor quality and locked away in out\u2013of\u2013date legacy IT systems,\u201d it said. AI has the potential to radically change public services but these barriers make it an uphill struggle, it added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The report warned there are no quick fixes and calls for remediation funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI can\u2019t thrive on outdated and disconnected systems \u2014 it needs high-quality data on which to learn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Legacy systems and under-digitisation: the government\u2019s AI readiness gap\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

We know how legacy IT systems and manual processes affect organisations. <\/span>As we<\/span> mentioned in a recent blog<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> they\u2019re costly, inefficient, unreliable, difficult to change, and pose substantial security risks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to data, government departments deal with:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n