London Tech Week 2025 brought together over 45,000 attendees and a flood of new tech trends. But for those of us who work closely with the public sector, one question matters more than anything: how do we turn trends in emerging technology into something useful and usable for the people who rely on public services every day?
Here are the top themes from the week that stood out to me and what they mean in practical terms for public service leaders and delivery teams.
1. AI for public good
AI was inevitably a key theme at the event, but one of the strongest messages was that we need to move from theory to real, well-understood use cases across all sectors.
Why this matters now
The UK government has launched a £187 million ‘TechFirst’ programme intending to upskill citizens with AI and digital skills. This will ensure that the UK becomes an ‘AI maker and not an AI taker’. As AI becomes part of everyday life, public services must also keep pace. Not just by using AI, but by integrating it in ways that improve efficiency and outcomes.
What public sector teams can do
- Look for simple, high-friction processes that AI can improve (such as triaging requests, summarising documents).
- Design tools that meet real user needs, not just what’s technically possible.
- Ensure AI tools are interoperable, so they connect smoothly across public facing portals and systems.
2. AI in education: Supporting teachers, not replacing them
One session looked at how AI could help to relieve some of the pressures in education, like time spent marking, real-time student support and spotting student weaknesses early. An important question that came up during the Q&A was: how do we make sure safety measures are in place, while also encouraging creativity and making sure tools are inclusive and accessible?
Why this matters now
Teachers are stretched, and feedback loops are slow. There’s a lot of manual work in education. AI tools could free up valuable time and improve support for students. It could also allow space for more strategic work in this sector.
What education teams can do
- Choose AI tools and applications that genuinely add value for students, educators, and administrators
- Have clear policies in place around data privacy, bias and accessibility from the start.
- Involve teachers and students in small pilots early on
- Measure what matters, like time saved or improved outcomes. True impact will be measured by the benefits delivered from real use cases.
3. Health and AI: A joined-up approach is critical
Healthcare innovation was another major theme, with a focus on using technology to improve patient outcomes, speed up diagnosis and treatment and reduce costs. From predictive analytics to wearables and brain-computer interfaces, the goal is faster, more accurate care and better use of resources.
Interesting use cases included:
- DeepTech technology that could use Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) to restore motor functions and repair cognitive ability
- Generative AI in drug discovery to unlock hidden insights
- Use of LLMs in genomics to identify emerging disease patterns
- Wearable devices that enable remote monitoring
- Use of predictive analysis for early detection of health conditions
Why this matters now
We absolutely can’t afford to develop tech in silos in healthcare. The biggest gains come when government, health providers, startups and regulators all work together to support adoption at scale.
What health teams can do
- AI must be trained on inclusive, representative data to mitigate the bias that disproportionately affects more vulnerable patients.
- Build strategic partnerships early between tech, research and care providers. Openly discussing hurdles to the unified scalability and adoption of AI in real-world healthcare settings is crucial to unlock innovation across the wider healthcare industry.
- Apply due diligence in clinical research and diagnosis. Patient safety should never be compromised in the rush to deploy.
4. Is quantum computing the future?
Quantum computing came up in relation to everything from cybersecurity to climate modelling. The potential is huge, but it faces significant hurdles such as high development costs, scalability challenges and the constant need for capital.
Why this matters now
With continued government investment, the UK is positioning itself as a leader. Public sector teams don’t need to build quantum capability now, but they do need to know what’s coming.
What public sector teams should consider
- Keep an eye on use cases that might affect your sector (things like cryptography and logistics).
- Build future-readiness into your data and infrastructure plans.
- Engage with experts and partners now to stay informed.
Tech for good
One of the key themes from the week was ‘tech for good’ – something we care deeply about at Made Tech. But tech for good isn’t about chasing tech trends. It’s about choosing the right tools, for the right problems, at the right time.
At Made Tech, we believe every tech solution, whether it’s quantum computing for smart cities or AI in healthcare must start with people. A human-centred approach gives us solutions that are not only useful, but also support broader goals like sustainability and ethics. This is how we build public services that are fair, effective and ready for the future.
Get in touch with us to find out how emerging tech could improve your services.
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