In Code We Trust One entrepreneur's mission to future-proof the public-sector

In an age of tightening budgets and rising public demand, artificial intelligence (AI) might seem like a luxury. But for the UK's overstretched councils, it's becoming a lifeline. It doesn't involve street protests or political grandstanding. Instead, it's powered by data, algorithms, and a belief that the UK public sector - often caricatured as slow, bloated, and technologically behind - can not only keep pace with innovation, but it can lead it.

At the heart of this movement is Martin Neale, the 61-year-old founder and CEO of ICS.AI, a company helping councils transform how they serve citizens through practical, scalable applications of AI. Neale's story doesn't begin in a Silicon Valley garage. It begins in 2018, when, at the age of 55, he did something most financial advisors would balk at: he cashed in his pension to launch a tech start-up focused entirely on the public sector. "Fundamentally, it came down to belief," Neale says. "Belief in the value and transformative power of AI in the public sector, and confidence that it was going to make a huge difference. My excitement for technology hasn't dimmed and I've always been a lover of innovation."

At the time, AI was beginning to reach a critical tipping point. The breakthrough, as Neale saw it, came in 2016, when major cloud providers like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google began commoditising AI capabilities. What once cost millions to test and deploy could now be accessed for pennies. "It was clear AI was going to explode," he says. "And while I've been pleasantly surprised by the scale of that growth, its inevitability was obvious back then." What's less obvious is just how quickly the UK public sector has embraced AI in meaningful, operational ways. Contrary to the image of government bureaucracy bogged down by outdated legacy systems, Neale believes the UK is actually ahead of much of the world when it comes to real-world AI deployment in public services.

"It comes down to economics and necessity," he explains. "The UK is committed to providing a high level of state support, but like all Western democracies, it faces the pressures of an ageing population and the knock-on effect on tax revenues. Necessity really is the mother of invention." That fiscal squeeze has driven innovation in unlikely places - council offices, healthcare trusts, and public housing departments - where AI is now quietly streamlining operations, handling citizen queries, and identifying inefficiencies at scale.

The company is doubling year-on-year, and it's done so without the flash that tends to dominate tech headlines. There are no moonshot promises or glossy investor decks. Just a focus on delivering outcomes that matter - and doing so repeatedly. In many ways, Neale's vision can be summed up in a comparison he draws with one of the most influential – and controversial – names in tech: Palantir. "Palantir, for those unfamiliar, is a highly successful US AI and data analytics company," Neale explains. "One of the things that propelled them was their ability to simplify the engagement and decision-making process for organisations, cutting through 'pilot paralysis' with an effective, repeatable model."

ICS.AI has taken a similar approach in the UK public sector, creating what Neale calls a "go-to-market mechanism" - essentially a framework that enables councils and public bodies to easily buy, deploy, and see measurable returns on AI investments. It's an approach designed not for headlines, but for results. "For Derby City Council, we helped them identify £7.5m in savings from their AI transformation," he says. "Using a process we can apply elsewhere. It's about enabling measurable, scalable impact."

Yet Neale is quick to note that success in this space isn't just about savings – it's about sustainability and ethics. In an era where concerns about AI misuse, bias, and transparency are dominating global discourse, ICS.AI has built its platform with public trust in mind from the ground up. "In the public sector, ethics aren't optional," Neale says. "Security, accessibility, engagement, and ethics must be woven into how you design and deploy AI. That's been our approach from day one." He believes this mindset gives the UK a unique advantage - one that could position it as a global leader in ethical AI specifically designed for public service delivery.

"Our platforms are often the first in the world to solve certain problems. That gives the UK a head start in applying these lessons to other countries that are slower to adopt," he says. "If we continue to embed ethics as a core principle, while sharing and exporting our expertise, the UK can cement its role as a leader in ethical AI for public services."

That message appears to be resonating far beyond the UK. ICS.AI is now seeing growing international interest in its model - not from tech giants or venture capitalists, but from other governments who are beginning to grapple with the same demographic and economic pressures that have long defined UK policymaking. But for all the attention and expansion, Neale remains focused on the mission that drove him to launch ICS.AI in the first place: building solutions that genuinely work for public bodies - and by extension, the people they serve.

"Customers aren't buying AI for its novelty; they're investing because they expect tangible outcomes that weren't possible before," he says. "Entrepreneurs need to work backwards from that." It's advice he offers freely to the next wave of tech founders, especially those building mission-driven ventures in risk-averse sectors like health, education, or government. "Start by clearly articulating the benefits so customers can build strong business cases. Then ensure those benefits are actually realised, so clients become advocates for you in the marketplace. That advocacy is what drives sustainable growth."

He's also bullish on the need for an 'AI-first' mindset – not just in tech, but across the broader business community. "Entrepreneurs shouldn't wait to be forced into AI adoption by competitors – they need to be proactive," he says. "AI gives organisations the ability to work faster and more effectively, and embracing that early is an advantage."

For a man who put his retirement on the line to launch a company in a sector often seen as stuck in the past, Neale's outlook is refreshingly forward-looking. He isn't chasing the next funding round or betting on a flashy exit. He's betting on the power of AI to help governments do more with less – and on the idea that deep, sustainable change often begins in the places you least expect. The public sector has its challenges, but it also has the most to gain from getting this right.