bmwelby's blog

An elegant bronze scale stands on a cobblestone quay beside a calm river, with the British Houses of Parliament and Big Ben visible in the background. On one side of the scale, a woman in professional attire stands with her back to the viewer, symbolizing human values. On the opposite side, a digital figure illuminated with glowing blue circuitry represents artificial intelligence. The scale is heavily tipped in favor of the woman, showing that human values outweigh technology. The scene has a warm and optimistic atmosphere, with a clear sky indicating a pleasant spring or early summer day.

AI in government: it’s about people, not technology (as always)

September 13, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 0 Comments

It was our first week back for Vineyard English School after the summer break¹. Many familiar faces were absent, but one young Eritrean was eager to see us – he’d just received a letter about his asylum claim.

We were back in the hotel today after stopping over the summer (more volunteers would allow for doing this year round). Here's a photo of a letter that had been received by one of the hotel residents. Two native English speakers had to check with one another that we actually understood it.
— Benjamin Welby (@bm.wel.by) 2024-09-11T17:13:33.941Z

The letter was dense, bureaucratic, and impenetrable. It’s a far cry from the aspirations for content design that so many advocate for as a central plank in reimagining the relationship between the state and its users.

He looked to us for an explanation. But even among the fluent English speakers, we had to consult amongst ourselves to ensure we understood it correctly. Hardly surprising, since according to The First Word’s readability test, this letter is on par with reading Nietzsche.

A visual display of book covers arranged by difficulty level, ranging from "Very Easy" (0-20) to "Very Challenging" (61-100). The cover in the middle, labeled "20 - 30," stands out in yellow and features the title "Beyond Good and Evil" by Nietzsche. Other covers represent a range of genres and styles.

The power of AI

I reached for ChatGPT.

What I wrote in August

September 1, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 0 Comments

This is the monthly round up of the things I’ve written. A quieter month of writing than July because it’s been the school summer holidays and it’s a wonderful dividend from not yet being back in full time work to continue being fully available for them.

As well as writing these posts I was also asked for my opinions by PublicTechnology.net following on from my blog post in July about the move of CDDO, GDS and i.AI.

Notes from our holidays

We actually have a dedicated, but very irregular, blog for writing about our travels. The summer began with the intention of retelling the story of last year’s excellent trip to Scandinavia. We got five days into it (covering Copenhagen and our first day in Gothenburg) before we ran out of steam. We’ll get there eventually.

The first piece of the month was a grumble about Historic Royal Palaces and the mismatch between a family’s experience in person compared to their experience online. I’ve updated the post to include some of the response I received from HRP’s Commercial Director. It hasn’t mollified me.

Part way through the month the restart of the football season meant a long drive up the M1 gave me the chance to reminisce about Numberplate Cricket. Though it’s quite likely it’s now less playable with every new registration from now until next March being a wicket-taking 74 plate.

And finally, also tapping into nostalgia, we had some fun with ChatGPT trying to place a catchphrase belonging to two Lancastrians who recently announced a reunion tour (no, not those brothers). Which led to me channeling Jane Austen and declaring that: “It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a person in possession of a question must be in want of a chatbot. Yet, one must also remember, that a chatbot, no matter how clever, is not always in possession of the truth.”

Updating ULEZ (for the last time…for a while)

The only other thing I managed to publish last month was a further update to my series of posts measuring the number of cars actually impacted by ULEZ. This is probably going to be the last time I do this until a) the goalposts for ULEZ move or b) we hit the next milestone.

This month the total number of ULEZ non-compliant vehicles in London dropped below 300,000 for the first time. By way of a reminder, there were 552,198 of them when I first did this in March 2022.

The pace of ULEZ compliance is slowing but still trending up

No Neeeeed to trust ChatGPT, especially for your nostalgia

August 28, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 2 Comments

A familiar catchphrase, an unexpected blank stare

Our family has just spent a lovely bank holiday weekend with friends enjoying the National Coal Mining Museum, a tremendous 3-1 victory for Bradford City, a delicious curry at The Sweet Centre, some good church at St Peter’s Bury, and the splendid surroundings of the National Trust’s Shugborough Estate.

As we were driving to our first rendezvous in Wakefield, our friends, who live near Bolton, sent a message apologising that they would arrive after us. I reacted on our end with a loud “No neeeeed”, a catchphrase remembered from my childhood, delivered in an attempted Lancastrian accent. Christine, ever quick to capture a moment, got me to repeat the impression and sent it back as a voice note.

They replied with their own note, which we couldn’t decipher. So when we met up we asked them what was going on. To our surprise, they had misunderstood our message – they thought we were saying “Welbeeeees” as a greeting and had responded with a cry of their own family name.

I was puzzled. I was sure “No neeeeed” was a common cultural touchpoint but instead it was met with blank stares. Confidently, I told them it was a catchphrase from Mark and Lard, the iconic radio duo of the 90s.

However, when I tried to back up my claim with a quick Google, I hit a brick wall.

A close up shot of the front grille of a car with a white number plate reading CR12KET. Alongside it is a cricket bat leaning up against some stumps with a cricket ball on the ground next to them.

The Return of Numberplate Cricket: A Road Trip Revival

August 19, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 1 Comment

Growing up in Bradford but with grandparents in Kent and Somerset meant hours on the road, more often than not to a backdrop of Radio 4 (which was not so engaging as a child). Of course, this being the late 80s/early 90s there were no screens to occupy the journey. So my siblings and I had to make our own entertainment and I remember Numberplate Cricket as a great way to kill off the monotony of the motorway.

Fast forward to 2024, and the tables have turned. Now it’s my children enduring long drives from Croydon to Bradford to ‘enjoy’ our our season tickets at Valley Parade¹ . Last weekend’s 9 hour round trip served up a pretty underwhelming 0-0 and 3 points denied by dubious officialing.

Probably over the line #bcafc

[image or embed]
— Sanj (@londonbantam.bsky.social) Aug 17, 2024 at 18:17

What is Numberplate Cricket?

For the uninitiated, Numberplate Cricket is a simple game (despite what Wikipedia suggests) that turns every passing car into a potential run or wicket. The rules are simple:

A bustling street scene featuring several cars lined up on a road. In the background, the iconic clock tower of Big Ben is visible, with a blue arrow graphic indicating an upward trend in traffic or growth. The setting is illuminated by sunlight peeking through clouds, creating a lively urban atmosphere.

The pace of ULEZ compliance is slowing but still trending up

August 16, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 0 Comments

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series ULEZ

This is the fifth time I’ve looked at vehicle registration data in UK to see the extent to which private car owners are impacted by the expansion of ULEZ. I’ll probably do it once more to retrospectively see what the situation was at the time of the general election, and the former Prime Minister vowing to reverse one of the most successful policy interventions of recent years.

That last post, looking at the data until the end of December 2023, showed the total numbers of ULEZ affected private cars in London were 305,009 down from 552,198 in March 2022. What has another three months done to those figures?

Historic Royal Palaces membership: A cautionary tale from our family’s visit

August 14, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 1 Comment

We recently joined some friends for a day at the Historic Royal Palace of Hampton Court, a place we hadn’t visited since 2018. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision but although we didn’t plan our day we did check the website. And the website encouraged us to pre-book our tickets in advance. So we did.

The kids were buzzing with excitement, the weather was perfect, and we were looking forward to our day in the splendour of the palace and its gardens. And the day lived up to our expectations, filled with exploration, fun, and a lot of history.

A wide view of the main entrance to Hampton Court Palace, a Tudor-era structure, set on expansive grounds. The building features a mix of stone and brick architecture with many towers and ornate facades. The foreground shows a grassy area shaded by a large tree, with sunlight casting dappled shadows on the ground. In the background, the castle’s massive walls stretch out, with a clear blue sky above dotted with a few fluffy clouds. The setting appears calm and serene, suitable for sightseeing or exploration.

The image captures a picturesque garden scene under a clear blue sky. In the foreground, a vibrant cluster of white roses blooms surrounded by lush green foliage. The garden is neatly arranged, showcasing various plants, including a border of neatly trimmed hedges that adds to the serene aesthetic. In the background, there is a hill dotted with trees, and an old stone wall can be seen, suggesting the remnants of a historical structure. The overall atmosphere is tranquil and inviting, reflecting a well-maintained public or private garden space.

A detailed view of a grand ceiling fresco depicting various celestial figures, including angels and mythical creatures, in an ornate Baroque style. The fresco features vivid colors and intricate details, with gold accents framing the artwork. The walls below are richly decorated with sculptural reliefs and classical columns, creating a sense of depth and opulence. Soft light illuminates the scene, enhancing the ethereal quality of the painting. The setting is within Hampton Court Palace.

So as we were preparing to leave, the option to upgrade our tickets to an annual membership was a no-brainer. Not only would this make it possible to come back to Hampton Court over the next twelve months, including for the upcoming food festival (which was the reason we had come six years ago) but it covers the Tower of London, which we’d also had a half-formed plan to visit.

We were excited to think that for just a little bit extra on top of what we’d already paid, we could unlock a year of unlimited visits. However, this excitement quickly faded when we discovered the fine print of the upgrade policy—a detail that unfairly targets families.

What I wrote in July

August 1, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 0 Comments

I got back into the groove of writing on my blog at the end of June. And decided that rather than use Medium or anything else I’d come back to my self-hosted blog.

I’m hoping to keep up with my writing in the months to come (subscribe here if you want to be alerted whenever I do) but I may not stay as prolific as the 12 posts I shared this month. It was a somewhat eclectic selection.

I used ChatGPT to improve the speed and accessibility of my WordPress blog

July 29, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 3 Comments

Adding ALT text is a good habit to develop. I can’t say it has become second nature but I do try. And I have definitely found it to be a great use for ChatGPT.

Since ChatGPT got vision capability it’s a very simple thing to paste an image and ask for ALT text. It’s usually very good. Although I was shaken when it casually described me as middle aged in this image. I suppose it’s accurate now I’m 40 but it was brutal to see that text appear on the screen.

Yes, it is an important habit to develop and an important principle to prioritise. However, I think it should also be something where AI can solve a real life problem in a very practical way. It feels like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp et al should fold in this functionality and automatically add ALT text whenever you upload a new image.

Be the change you want to see

So with that thought in mind I was very aware that I recently published a series of blog posts consisting of 140 images of slides detailing how to build a data driven public sector, the majority of which did not include ALT text¹.

We need more participation in policymaking, we certainly don’t need less

July 25, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 5 Comments

I started writing a comment in response to today’s essay by James O’Malley but it quickly became outsized so I’ve turned it into a blog post instead.

The source for that essay is a new whitepaper from Demos that offers up a roadmap for embedding greater public participation in national policy making. James isn’t a great fan of it and in making the URL for his essay “James vs Demos” he’s clearly writing from a place of provocation. But he’s not alone. It also drew the ire of several commentators on Twitter. What’s strange is that I think in different times all of them would have probably been at the vanguard of enthusiasm for greater openness and engagement from government, not less.

But I can sympathise with their point of view. Some of that is concern that such efforts simply create an open buffet for cranks and extremists to push their agendas because they’re the ones who show up. But overall I sense a tired frustration that the country is just really bad at delivering the things we need. And that the feeling is that the sclerosis in this aspect of modern Britain comes from inviting external voices into the process which delay and obfuscate from what needs to be done because they hold too much sway.

A good example of that could be that some of the ballooning costs of HS2 that ultimately led to its cancellation for the country as a whole coming from efforts to satisfy the concerns of certain local communities and residents. While on the flip side to that, the new government has rapidly pressed ahead with a number of energy initiatives with national (if not international) outcomes in mind that had been being held up by local objections.

But focusing on these issues is to absolve those who govern for their deficiency in leadership. We can say that in either case it’s been a face off between individuals and communities (bad) and government decisiveness (good). But that’s such a bad place for us to end up when it comes to thinking about the sort of society we want to live in and the sort of public discourse we want to engage with.

Building a data-driven public sector Part 3: Unlocking the value of data without losing public trust

July 19, 2024 / Benjamin Welby / 3 Comments

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Building a data driven public sector (DDPS)

On 16th May 2024 I led a 90 minute session as part of the Digital Academy Masterclass, hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan’s Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and delivered by Digital Nation.

I’ve broken the presentation into 4 parts. After the introduction, Part 1 considered the potential of data to deliver public value; Part 2 looked at the elements needed to actually build a data-driven public sector; and this, Part 3, explored how to unlock the value of data without losing public trust.

Unless otherwise indicated or an obvious screenshot, the images were generated by ChatGPT.

Now we’re onto the third and final part of this morning’s session. We’ve thought about where value can come from in terms of what you do with data. We’ve thought about the role you all play in helping to create the conditions for data to be used. But now we will finish with thinking about how our use of data builds and preserves trust.

Trust is such a valuable commodity. But it can be lost so quickly and take so long to repair.

Trust between citizens and their government is the basis on which the legitimacy of public institutions is built. Without trust, some policies lose their meaning and some services cease to be used. Unfortunately, trust is deteriorating in many countries.

The power of AI

Notes from our holidays

Updating ULEZ (for the last time…for a while)

A familiar catchphrase, an unexpected blank stare

What is Numberplate Cricket?

Be the change you want to see

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