Kin + Carta supports new AI search function at GOV.UK

The Government Digital Service has launched a new AI powered search engine for its GOV.UK website. Partnering with Kin + Carta to deploy Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Search, GOV.UK’s new function aims to use natural language models to make information more accessible to the public.

The UK Government has sought to utilise the apparent potential of AI, to enable citizens to access information on its services more easily. According to Minister for Digital Government and AI, Feryal Clark, with “millions of people” visiting GOV.UK every day to access important details, deploying the technology to streamline the process could help “make that experience as seamless and efficient as possible.”

Clark added, “Our new AI-powered search engine delivers faster, more relevant results and makes it easier for everyone - regardless of their digital skills - to find what they need."

Built on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Search, a release on the topic stated the Government Digital Service (GDS) hoped to respond to “the more conversational nature of modern internet searches”. The natural language models used by Vertex AI Search are said to thereby make information more accessible to the public while also being accurate in its results.

The GDS has indicated that the search engine was soft-launched in February 2024, but it did not disclose details until now, to make sure it was pleased with the results it had seen.

Speaking on the matter, GDS Deputy Director Leanne Cummings commented, “GOV.UK provides critical information, services and guidance to the millions of people that use it every single day. Therefore, how people search for what they need on GOV.UK is a key priority for us. Since launching our new search tool, we've seen a marked improvement in how users of GOV.UK find what they need, when they need it.”

In order to launch the tool, GOV.UK partnered with experts from Kin + Carta on the initiative. The Valtech-owned global digital transformation consultancy collaborated with the GOV.UK team at GDS to improve the relevancy of results, while also reducing the long-term maintenance work required of the GOV.UK team.

Google Cloud’s customised Vertex AI search solution was utilised by Kin + Carta, using natural language models that reflect the more “conversational” nature of modern search - creating a digital service that is both accurate and accessible to the public. According to the Kin + Carta professionals, when the new search engine was tested against the previous one, it was found that 14% more users are clicking through to relevant results and there was an 11% decrease in search refinement, as well as an 8% reduction in users leaving the site from the search page.

Karl Hampson, CTO for data and AI in Europe with Kin + Carta, noted, “The GOV.UK website is one of the most visited websites in the UK, with hundreds of thousands of pages of vital information and services for the UK public. The way people search has fundamentally changed since the launch of the GOV.UK website, so you need a search function that reflects modern search behaviour and language. AI has revolutionised search technology, returning better results in a way like never before through understanding people’s search queries and helping people to navigate the site. By utilising Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Search, creating an enhanced user experience for visitors to the GOV.UK site.”

The news comes after a difficult period for Google, when implementing AI into its own search functions at the start of the year. The search giant’s AI Overviews feature was supposed to remove “the legwork” from searching, offering easy-to-understand answers to conversational queries based on multiple search results – but was widely ridiculed after infamously recommending that people use glue on pizza, or eat rocks. However, as AI search technology continues to progress, Kin + Carta and the GDS seem confident that there will be no such debacles here.

Sam Ineson, Director of Public Sector at Kin + Carta concluded: "The new search breaks down barriers to finding government services, meaning that non-digital natives, and those who need these services most can now use natural language to find what they need."