County spending £1.56m on AI for 'radical rethink'

Somerset Council says hundreds of families could be stopped from becoming homeless under the move

Spending more than £1m on artificial intelligence (AI) could stop up to 256 families being made homeless each year, a council says.

Somerset Council's cabinet has agreed to invest £1.56m in AI and data analysis in a "radical rethink" to fight rising demand and costs.

Some of the money will go towards creating a system which collects and collates residents' data currently held by different parts of the council into a "single view". It is hoped this will identify people and families at risk of homelessness sooner.

Councillor Theo Butt-Philip, the council's lead member for transformation, said the move would help it "do things differently and do things better".

"With demand and costs for services continuing to rise, we know we need to radically rethink how we operate to put more focus on prevention," said Mr Butt-Philip.

He said the "long-term investment" would "build capability across the whole council" and help "make the most of the opportunities provided by better use of data and AI".

The council believes the increased use of AI will allow staff to identify gaps in support for people who need the council's help.

The money, which has come from the council's capital funding pot, will also go towards adding 1 new staff to the council's AI and data team.