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Here’s a summary based on the original article from PublicTechnology:

Business professionals use digital devices and augmented reality in a modern office setting.Major UK Government Copilot Trial: Key Findings​

Scope:
  • 20,000 civil servants
  • 12 government departments
  • 3-month pilot (end of last year)
  • Led by the Government Digital Service (GDS) and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
Key Results:
  • Average time saved: 26 minutes/day per participant (about 13 workdays/year)
  • Consistency: Benefits were found across all grades and most professions, though actual savings varied by role
  • Adoption: 80% used Copilot with at least one M365 app
  • Teams had the highest adoption (71%)
  • Word, Outlook, Copilot Chat around 50%
  • PowerPoint and Excel under 25%
  • Usage:
  • 39% used Copilot more than once daily
  • 43% used it several times each week
  • Only 2% did not use it at all
Professional Differences:
  • Highest savings:
  • Project delivery: 35 mins/day
  • Commercial: 32 mins
  • Operations, digital/data, comms: 31 mins
  • HR, policy: 29 mins
  • Finance, analysis: 25 mins
  • Lowest:
  • Legal: 19 mins
  • Tax: 11 mins
User Sentiment & Value:
  • 85% said Copilot provided good value to their department
  • 63% felt job satisfaction and productivity would drop without it
  • Average satisfaction score: 7.7/10
  • Average recommendation: 8.2/10
Commonly Saved Tasks:
  • Drafting written documents and presentations
Challenges Noted:
  • The lowest satisfaction and time savings came from teams dealing with nuance/contradictory data (like policy roles), sometimes leading to more cautious usage
  • Users identified needs for more effective prompting, skill-building, and concern about accuracy, reliability, dependency, and even environmental impact
Next Steps Highlighted by Government:
  • Focus deployment on professions showing both highest and lowest time savings for further study
  • More attention on accessibility use cases and inclusion (noted benefits for disabled staff)
  • Continued tracking and evaluation through a dedicated AI adoption unit in GDS
Participating Departments Included:
  • DWP, HMRC, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, DESNZ, DSIT, FCDO, DEFRA, Department for Business & Trade, Companies House, ONS, Welsh Government
Conclusion:
Microsoft Copilot helped deliver significant average daily time savings for a large cross-section of UK public sector staff, with most seeing value in its continued use, but its impact varies with the type of work and level of user skill/confidence.
Read the full report on PublicTechnology.net.
Let me know if you need the direct quotes, infographics, or a deeper dive on a particular department or role!

Source: PublicTechnology Major government Copilot trial finds half an hour average time savings per day
 

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