The head of the government’s spending watchdog has said he is open to learning from Elon Musk’s US “department of government efficiency”, or DOGE.
Gareth Davies, the UK’s chief auditor, gave his annual speech to Parliament on Tuesday, warning that money was being “wasted” and public services “compromised” as he stressed that there was a lack of preparation for “increasingly likely events” such as pandemics.
Embracing new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and system reform in the public sector are among the actions Whitehall needs to take to boost productivity, he added.
Davies, comptroller and auditor general of the National Audit Office (NAO) was asked after his speech if he was paying close attention to Musk’s new DOGE department in the US, while his own organisation examined spending across the UK government and Whitehall.
As reported by the Guardian, Davies confirmed he was taking an interest, and said he was “open to learning from anything”.
He added: “Obviously, yes. Let’s see what happens and what to learn from it.
“If it is possible to make very big savings whilst delivering the government’s priorities, then of course we should be interested in how that’s being done.”
It comes after Musk suggested at a Donald Trump rally in New York in January that DOGE might be able to cut “at least $2tn” from US government spending by cutting waste.
In his speech, Davies also stressed how he believes the UK can help boost productivity and increase resilience to long-term threats such as cyber attacks.
Departments should have effective accountability in place that means risks can be taken in a managed way, and harness new technologies such as AI, he argued.
He added: “Since the 2008 financial crisis, we’ve seen lower productivity growth across the whole economy than in the decades before and that’s well-known.
“And Covid-19 of course didn’t improve the picture, particularly in the public sector.”
The NAO is an independent body reporting on the finances of government departments and public bodies, and Davies has the statutory authority to examine the value for money of spending of public funds, highlighting £3bn in annual savings from their recommendations.
He described AI as “rightly at the top of the agenda” when it comes to improving productivity, with “clear potential for reducing the time taken for routine tasks”.
A government spokesperson said: “AI has immense potential to transform public services, and too much of our public sector is reliant on archaic digital infrastructure.
“Our six-point plan to transform public services with technology will drive responsible AI adoption, give public services the tools they need to coordinate themselves, and repair the foundations of their infrastructure to ensure they are resilient and secure – this includes Gov.uk Wallet and AI tools that streamline administrative processes, enhance decision-making and boost productivity across departments.”