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Anthropic Selected by UK Government to Build AI Assistant | News

 

 

Anthropic, an American artificial intelligence research company, has been selected by the United Kingdom’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to partner with the UK government in building and piloting an advanced AI powered assistant for GOV.UK, the government’s central public services portal.

 

The initiative, announced on January 27, 2026, represents a major collaborative effort aimed at enhancing how UK citizens interact with government services across a range of public facing functions.

 

Under the agreement, Anthropic will develop an AI system powered by its Claude language model to support users in navigating government processes and accessing public services with bespoke guidance tailored to individual circumstances. The project will initially focus on employment related services, where job seekers and workers entering the labour force will be able to access personalised career advice, training options, support information, and route finding assistance to relevant government resources.

 

Strategic AI Partnership Builds on Existing UK Collaboration

 

This deployment builds on a Memorandum of Understanding between Anthropic and the UK government signed in February 2025, which set a framework for exploring how advanced AI systems might be responsibly deployed within public services and other government operations. The non binding agreement outlines joint ambitions to improve citizen access to government information, protect privacy, and establish best practices for safe AI integration.

 

Anthropic’s selection to build the GOV.UK assistant follows the government’s broader drive to modernise public services through digital transformation, a priority that features prominently in the national digital strategy. The UK government’s approach emphasises the use of safety centred frameworks for testing and scaling advanced technologies, reflecting ongoing efforts to balance innovation with risk management.

 

AI for Public Services with Safety First Deployment

 

A central aim of the partnership is to bring safe, trustworthy AI assistance into public sector services. Anthropic and DSIT are developing the GOV.UK AI assistant under the government’s Scan, Pilot, Scale framework, which promotes phased testing and measured implementation to assess performance, user experience, and safety outcomes before any broader rollout.

 

According to the announcement, the project will ensure that users maintain control over their personal data. This includes transparent handling of data, options to opt out of data retention, and compliance with UK data protection laws. Users will experience an AI assistant that retains conversational continuity across sessions so they do not need to repeat information when they return to the system.

 

Enhancing Government Digital Services with AI Expertise

 

Anthropic’s engagement goes beyond supplying a technology solution. The agreement includes direct collaboration between Anthropic engineers and UK government technical teams, including civil servants and developers from the Government Digital Service. This joint work aims to build in house AI expertise within government so that the system can be maintained independently over time, and reinforce the UK’s capability to manage and steward AI technologies within public administration.

 

The company has emphasised its commitment to supporting the UK’s position in the global AI landscape by contributing to this public sector transformation effort. Anthropic’s presence in the UK includes a growing research and development team based in London, which engages in policy work, applied AI research, and wider technology deployment across commercial and public sectors.

 

AI Opportunities Within Broader Government Priorities

 

The partnership with Anthropic aligns with several broader policy initiatives pursued by the UK government. In addition to modernising public services, the government has recently announced efforts to recruit top AI expertise into Whitehall to improve civil infrastructure and national security applications, including support from international and private sector partners.

 

The 2025 Memorandum of Understanding between Anthropic and DSIT also references collaboration with the UK AI Security Institute, a newly named body focused on AI risks related to national security and crime, which signals government interest in combining innovation with protective research and evaluation.

 

Public Sector Digital Transformation Through AI Innovation

 

For citizens, the pilot of the AI assistant on GOV.UK will serve as one of the earliest visible examples of how generative AI can be integrated into public service delivery at scale. The employment support use case functions both as a practical service improvement and as a testbed for exploring how advanced language models can provide responsive, intuitive support in complex government interactions.

 

By embedding Claude powered assistance, government officials expect to reduce friction points for users, streamline access to benefits and services, and provide real time guidance that augments traditional navigation methods. Should the pilot prove successful, the model could be adapted for additional public service areas, offering broader opportunities for digital transformation across government departments.

 

Commitment to Responsible AI Deployment in Public Use

 

Both Anthropic and UK authorities have highlighted that AI safety and trustworthiness remain central to this effort. The phased approach to development and the emphasis on compliance with legal and privacy standards reflect ongoing concern about deploying frontier AI in responsible ways that uphold public values.

 

While this initiative represents one of the most substantial collaborations between a major AI developer and the UK government to date, it fits within a larger international trend of governments exploring how to incorporate generative AI into public systems, while mitigating risks and strengthening internal capabilities. The UK project with Anthropic is among the first to move beyond exploratory research into a public pilot with direct service provision responsibilities.