What was the challenge?

As Carmarthenshire County Council progressed its transition to a digital first operating model, the organisation identified the need to improve workforce productivity while equipping staff with the skills and confidence to work effectively with AI. Traditional approaches risked fragmented adoption, uneven capability and concern among staff about the impact of AI on roles and job security. This created a need for a controlled, organisation wide approach that framed AI as a productivity and support tool rather than a replacement for professional judgement.  

Who would benefit and how?

The primary beneficiaries were staff across all services who gained access to an AI tool that could support everyday work such as drafting, document summarisation and information retrieval. Indirectly, citizens were expected to benefit from faster, more efficient internal processes and a workforce better equipped to focus on value adding activity rather than routine administrative tasks. 

What was the solution?

Carmarthenshire County Council participated in a Microsoft funded pilot of Copilot, distributing licences across multiple services. The pilot was deliberately broad in scope, enabling staff in different roles and service areas to experiment with Copilot and identify practical productivity benefits.  

Structured feedback and reporting on efficiency gains were collected on a weekly basis to build organisational understanding of where Copilot added value and inform decisions about wider deployment. Following the pilot, Copilot was made available more widely across the organisation and embedded within Microsoft Teams for all staff. 

Who was involved?

The pilot and rollout were led by the central Digital Team and supported by engagement from services across the organisation, particularly AI ‘champions’ across the organisation who promoted experimentation and adoption while supporting colleagues’ training needs.  

The approach aligned with the council’s broader digital and AI strategy, combining central oversight with service level experimentation. Feedback from staff was used to guide adoption and inform decisions about embedding Copilot as a baseline capability rather than a specialist tool.  

What was achieved?

The Copilot pilot demonstrated qualitative efficiency gains across a range of roles, supporting staff in completing tasks more quickly and with greater confidence. Weekly feedback collection enabled the organisation to identify common use patterns and to understand how Copilot could complement other AI tools already in use. The decision to embed Copilot within Teams and make it broadly available reflects the council’s confidence in its value as a general purpose productivity tool.  

How was the Welsh language considered?

Copilot adoption was considered within the wider context of Carmarthenshire’s commitment to bilingual service delivery, which is seen as a non-negotiable in AI service development, and its increasing use of Welsh language AI capabilities. Where previous Welsh language provision within significant products, including Microsoft’s, were often unnatural and of unacceptable quality, recent updates mean that Copilots Welsh language and translation abilities are now seen as more than good enough, offering greater confidence in the organisation’s ability to deliver bilingual AI services, both internally and public facing.  

What were the key governance steps taken?

Carmarthenshire’s AI governance framework includes policies to address AI-specific risks, data governance, security and due process for procurement, supported by clear communications to prevent unauthorised tool usage and ensure compliance. 

This central oversight helps to prevent uncoordinated adoption while still allowing services to explore practical use cases, while a preference for Microsoft embedded tools keeps data within organisational boundaries, reducing risk and the need for additional data processing agreements.  

Alongside e-learning programmes and regular internal communications, Copilot adoption was supported by the use of digital ‘champions’ to raise AI awareness, provide self-guided modules on prompting and tool usage and support staff in familiarising themselves with new technologies. Training emphasised AI literacy and prompting as core workforce skills, enabling staff to use Copilot effectively and responsibly and reflecting the organisation’s broader strategy of treating AI capability as a baseline skill rather than a specialist function. 

What lessons have been learned?

Key lessons included the value of introducing Copilot as a foundational, organisation wide capability rather than tying it to a single service or use case. Structured feedback mechanisms were critical in understanding genuine benefits and outcomes, while clear and honest communications played a key role in positioning Copilot as a productivity aid rather than a threat to roles.  

Supporting information

Carmarthenshire County Council’s use of Copilot is included in Microsoft’s ‘Less Admin, More Care’ video here