Episode 13

AI is everywhere. So why is it still barely being used to help organisations manage programmes, portfolios and large-scale change?

Recorded live at DigiGov 2026, this panel discussion explores the AI adoption gap in the public sector and asks what is preventing organisations from moving beyond individual productivity tools and isolated use cases towards AI that can support delivery at scale.

Laura Watts is joined by Neil Pragnell, Head of Portfolio Delivery at NHS Business Services Authority, Ross Mardell, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder at Verto, and Natasha Osborne, Head of Client Success and certified change manager at Verto. Together, they explore the barriers standing in the way of wider adoption, from data quality and governance to accountability, trust, skills and organisational change.

The conversation also looks ahead to what happens when AI becomes part of the wider delivery team, supporting rather than replacing human judgement, and how organisations can begin closing the adoption gap through better data, clear guardrails, focused use cases and effective change management.

For public sector leaders, PMOs and transformation teams asking how to move from experimenting with AI to using it meaningfully across an organisation, this discussion offers a practical place to start.