Senior leaders and decision-makers

AI Engineering Lab is a UK government programme designed to help public sector departments adopt AI coding tools safely and effectively.

We provide:

• access and implementation of AI coding tools
• personalised adoption plans tailored to your organisation
• best practice guidance, training and templates
• change management resources
• community events and workshops

Is this right for my organisation?

We work with teams at all maturity levels, from those just starting to explore AI coding tools to those already using them and wanting structured support.

When you register interest, we'll assess your organisation's readiness, considering your technical infrastructure, security requirements, and team capacity. Then, we'll tailor support based on that.

This programme supports departments that:

• have software engineering teams
• want to improve engineering productivity
• are ready to invest time in adoption and change management
• have engineers available to participate in training and community activities
• have senior leadership support for AI tool adoption

Supporting you on the adoption journey

Adopting new tools and ways of working requires a people-led approach. We'll provide support to help you navigate this change, including:

• coaching in a change management framework in the Knowledge Hub
• 1-to-1 support to identify and mobilise AI champions in your organisation
• change management training for your AI champions to help them drive adoption
• communications plans and templates

Discover how to adopt AI tools and how we can support you through it.

Risk mitigation and security

Before adopting AI tooling, your organisation should have an AI policy in place. The AI playbook for the UK government provides guidance on working with AI technologies safely, effectively and responsibly.

We can help you address common security concerns when adopting AI coding tools.

Data protection and confidentiality

Including:

• guidance on what data can and cannot be shared with AI tools
• configuration options for data retention and privacy
• integration with your existing security controls

Code quality and security

Including:

• best practices for reviewing AI-generated code
• integration with Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) tools
• testing patterns for AI-assisted development

Cyber assurance

Including:

• security assessment templates
• vendor assurance documentation
• liaison with your security teams

We provide configuration guidance rather than prescriptive security approval, working with your existing governance processes.

Guidance and resources

AI Engineering Lab repository

The AI Engineering Lab repository is a central hub for guidance, best practice and training materials on using AI coding assistants in government. It also includes information on gathering data and building your case for adoption.

Visit the AI Engineering Lab repository on GitHub.

Knowledge Hub

The Knowledge Hub is where you'll find change management resources, community support and peer learning opportunities. You need a government or public sector email address to sign up. Personal email addresses are not accepted.

Access the Knowledge Hub.

Register your interest

To register your interest, email gdsengineeringexcellence@dsit.gov.uk.

You should provide information about:

• your reason for wanted to work with us, such as implementing tooling within your team
• what AI Engineering Lab can support you with, such as knowledge-sharing, adoption support, and AI licenses
• the size of your engineering team and a brief description of the work they're doing
• your team's capacity to work with AI Engineering Lab over the next month