Just a Minute please - Looking at how AI transcription tool can make a difference

Dorset Council has been chosen to take part in a trial for Minute, an artificial intelligence (AI) transcription and summary tool.

The tool has been developed by the Government's Incubator for Artificial Intelligence to transcribe meetings and produce customisable summaries in formats helpful to council officers.

The Incubator for Artificial Intelligence is part of the Government Digital Service (GDS) within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The team prototypes and deploys AI tools for use across the public sector. 

The Government says the Minute trial will help speed-up note taking across local authority services, including for example, streamlining burdensome admin tasks in the planning process to help meet their target of building 1.5 million homes by 2030.

This could help speed-up actions after planning meetings, allowing officers to focus on the task in hand, rather than paperwork and make informed decisions to get homes built. This will support approvals so that bricks can be laid and homes built faster.

The tool also helps take detailed notes in meetings between social care workers and their supervisors, allowing workers to focus on offering more support, instead of being bogged down by bureaucracy.

Councillor Ben Wilson, Cabinet Member for Corporate Development and Transformation, said he was delighted that the council was part of the trial, which runs until July.

"Artificial intelligence has the potential, if used ethically and securely, to revolutionise how the public sector works.

"This is a great example of how technology could be used as we transform the council to better serve our residents and improve outcomes," he said.

Dorset Council is one of 25 local authorities involved in the trial. More information about Minute and the trial can be found at https://ai.gov.uk/projects/minute/