Today we are talking to Tom Loosemore. As co-founder of the UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS), he helped define the gold standard for how the public sector should build technology. In this episode, we discuss hiring the right people, whether AI will save the government, and why Tom is not a fan of tech bro rockstars.

We also explore:

* Why the real innovation lies in service design, not technology

* How most good public servants were already inside the system

* What goes wrong when government outsources understanding

* Why politicians are addicted to false certainty

* The real meaning of “build, test, learn” in public policy

* How to think about AI in the public sector—and what not to expect

Mentioned:

* GOV.UK Design Principles — the foundational ethos of GDS

* Public Digital — the consultancy Tom co-founded to help governments around the world build better services

Recommendations:

* The Radical How by Tom Loosemore and Andrew Greenway

* The Service Organization by Kate Tarling

* Platformland by Richard Pope.

* Lean Agile by Eric Ries

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit herprogrammeerdeoverheid.substack.com

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