County councils have warned that insufficient staff capacity and training and a lack of funding are hindering the roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI).
In a County Councils Network (CCN) survey of its members, 85% of respondents said they used AI, primarily within administration, adult social care, children’s services and roads maintenance.
But 93% of county and unitary councils reported that staff capacity was a barrier to rolling out AI or deploying it more widely, and almost 71% said employees lacked the necessary training.
Funding was also a barrier cited by 71% of councils.
CCN economic growth spokesperson Richard Roberts said: ‘If government wants to truly turbocharge AI usage across England, then it needs to maximise the potential in all four corners of the country.
‘That means ensuring that county and unitary areas are fairly resourced in the fair funding review, enabling them to invest in technology, as well as working with local government to address workforce capacity issues.’
