Digital transformation without cybersecurity is a risk that public sector can’t afford

The UK government is accelerating digital transformation across public services, driven by a push for greater efficiency, innovation, and AI-powered solutions. The UK’s AI Blueprint, announced earlier this year, has set out the roadmap for the expansion of digital government services, and recent developments such as the unveiling of plans for a new gov.uk wallet to hold citizens’ driving licenses and passports demonstrate a clear commitment to digital transformation.

This transformation is welcome, but it would be amiss not to consider the cybersecurity challenges that come with the integration of AI-driven tools, cloud-based services, and an increasing number of third-party IT providers. The simple fact is that public sector digital transformation expands the attack surface of organizations – potentially exposing sensitive citizen data, essential services, and national security to risks.

A supply chain compromise could lead to the complete outage of essential services like healthcare systems, emergency ...