Innovation & impact: ICS.AI and Derby City Council on turning AI ambition into bankable savings

This podcast special features an interview with Martin Neale (Founder and CEO at Public Sector AI specialist ICS.AI) and Paul Simpson (Chief Executive of Derby City Council), talking to TechMarketView’s Craig Wentworth about what it really takes to move from AI experiments to organisation-wide transformation, and the tangible results it can deliver. Tune in to discover how Derby has identified over 200 AI use cases and is now pursuing an "AI-first" approach as it prepares for local government reorganisation; hear how GenAI helped Derby achieve a 40% call deflection rate, against a 20% target; and learn how staff workshops shaped the prioritisation of AI opportunities, with the involvement of senior finance personnel ensuring that savings were "bankable". At the time of recording, the council had already reported £7.25m in savings and was well on its way to achieving the planned £12m annual total – a milestone which was subsequently achieved and announced in January 2026. This isn't just a story about technology. Neale and Simpson are refreshingly candid about the leadership commitment, supplier-customer relationship dynamics, and hard choices that have made the difference between “pilot purgatory” and genuine transformation. Whether you're a local authority leader weighing up AI investments, a technology supplier seeking to understand what clients really need, or simply curious about what Public Sector AI adoption looks like in practice, this podcast interview offers grounded insight from people who’ve delivered the service and can quantify the benefits.