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A Modern Civil Service

The theme for One Big Thing 2025 is AI for All

“AI has arrived. Our defining opportunity is here, and together, we will harness it for the good of our country.”

Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

One Big Thing is back for 2025!

This year, the focus is on ‘AI for All’.

One Big Thing is an annual initiative that drives upskilling and culture change through collective action on a single, shared priority, across the Civil Service. It’s about investing in equipping every civil servant with the skills, knowledge, and tools to deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

Last year, One Big Thing 2024 demystified innovation for 160,000 civil servants and over 2400 case studies of changes made by teams were shared across the Civil Service. The year before that, One Big Thing 2023 delivered over half a million hours of data learning to 212,000 civil servants.

Why AI for All?

Civil servants have a crucial role in shaping how AI is used responsibly to deliver better for the public. In January, the ‘AI Opportunities Action Plan’ recognised AI as potentially the government’s single biggest lever to deliver its Plan for Change.

The potential of AI to transform public services is enormous, allowing us to deliver better, faster, and more innovatively for the public, and build a Civil Service fit for the future. Across the Civil Service, we are already transforming ways of working by using AI, enabling civil servants to free up valuable time to dedicate to meaningful work, and carry out our roles effectively and efficiently.

Joanna Davinson, Government Chief Digital Officer, Government Digital Service.

AI gives governments a unique opportunity to improve services and tackle complex problems. This year’s focus highlights that everyone in the civil service – from policy makers to frontline workers – can benefit from AI.

AI is at the centre of improving efficiency and freeing up public servants’ time to do more of the work that only humans can do. By equipping our people with AI literacy, we’re not just preparing for the future – we’re actively shaping it to design more responsive, efficient services that better meet the needs of the public.

What does this look like in practice?

One Big Thing 2025 gives civil servants the right knowledge, tools, and practical experience to use AI confidently and responsibly. 

Launching 13 October 2025 and running until 13 February 2026, One Big Thing 2025 invites all civil servants to:

• Learn the essentials of AI.

• Use AI to test out their learning in the context of their work.

• Deliver better for the public by making AI a part of their toolkit.

Civil servants will be asked to complete two simple steps 

  • Learning: All civil servants will be asked to complete a 60-minute e-learning course to build practical understanding for using AI safely and responsibly at work, explore real-world case studies from across the Civil Service, and take part in guided exercises that allow them to practice their skills directly. 
  • Departmental Activities: This will be followed by a series of local department-led activities in which civil servants can hear from experts and peers, and understand the implications of AI in specific work contexts.

In addition to this, there will be a dedicated learning pathway for senior civil servants to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to lead One Big Thing 2025 and AI adoption.

One Big Thing 2025 is only the start! Civil servants will be supported to continue building on the foundational knowledge gained, making use of the wealth of additional learning, support, and resources available.