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Has technology rendered open standards unnecessary?
Eddie Copeland, Policy Exchange’s Head of Technology Policy, questions whether the declining costs of technology will soon make it more economical to employ systems that can translate data between different databases than it would be for government to adopt open standards.
The Future of Intelligence: The potential and the risks of artificial intelligence
Michael Osborne and Stuart Russell, both speakers at our recent event The Future of Intelligence, provide a breakdown of their thoughts on the potential and risks that the greater use of artificial intelligence will bring.
5 points of focus for the ‘next phase’ of GDS
Following a series of high-profile departures at the Government Digital Service, Policy Exchange’s Head of Technology Eddie Copeland sets out where the GDS should go next. Eddie calls for the GDS to be focus on maintaining standards for front-end government IT; improving user experience; leading on open standards and best practice; and improve government IT procurement.
What are the policy challenges of driverless cars?
Eddie Copeland, Policy Exchange’s Head of Technology Policy, examines the policy challenges facing the introduction of driverless cars in the UK. Eddie sets out five major benefits the introduction of driverless cars to cities will bring and warns policymakers that, should they want to maximise the impact of the new technology, they need to start thinking about it now.
Nick Faith: Osborne should announce this week that all taxpayers will gain RBS shares
Nick Faith, Policy Exchange’s Director of Communications, sets out the case for George Osborne announcing a mass distribution of RBS shares at his forthcoming Mansion House speech. Originally proposed in Privatising the Banks, the scheme would see the creation of a new generation of shareholders with an estimated 20 million taxpayers receiving shares worth £1,000.
What if public services could be more like Amazon’s?
In his latest blog, Eddie Copeland, Policy Exchange’s Head of Technology Policy, describes the advances government could make if it personalised public services in the way that Amazon, Tesco ClubCard and Google currently do. Eddie argues that if public services addressed the needs of the individual by joining up data across departments, there would be a significant benefit to citizens.
What does the election result mean for tech policy?
Eddie Copeland, Head of the Technology Unit at Policy Exchange, considers what effect the election result will have on technology policy in the next five years. Due to an unexpected Conservative majority, Eddie argues the focus is certain to be on the future of the Government Digital Service and the impact an EU referendum could have on Britain’s role as the most digital nation in Europe.
We’re asking the wrong questions about Smart Cities
Eddie Copeland, Policy Exchange’s Head of Technology Policy, argues that politicians are mistaken in their belief that the concept of a ‘smart’ city is simply one that is as technologically advanced as possible. Cities are not collections of buildings and infrastructure but communities of people: they will be ‘smart’ only to the extent that the people within them have the information they need to improve their lives and the intelligence and insight to act upon it.
Is it time to ditch Digital Government?
Eddie Copeland, Policy Exchange’s Head of Technology Policy, responds to Nesta’s Stian Westlake’s blog calling for innovation policymakers ‘to be less boring’. Eddie argues that using the term ‘digital government’ creates the perception that digital government policies are somewhat removed from the rest of the public service reform agenda.
Not in the data business? Expect to be out of business within a decade
Eddie Copeland, Head of Policy Exchange’s Technology Policy Unit, argues that all companies are going to have to become – in part – data companies if they are to survive. If the government is keen on the future success of the economy, Eddie says, they will need to start shouting louder about the need to beef up the data aspects of business.
