Staying ahead of the curve on AI and innovation
Top tips from a government communications insider to staying informed on artificial intelligence and emerging technology without feeling overwhelmed.
Abby Wade, Applied Innovation Manager at the Government Communication Service, shares her approach to keeping up with artificial intelligence (AI).
One of the questions I get asked quite often is: “How do you keep up with everything that’s happening in AI?” The pace of change right now is relentless. It can feel like every week there’s a new tool, a new model, a new headline telling you that everything is about to change again.
I do not keep up with everything, I don’t have the time to. What I’ve learned to do instead is be intentional about where I direct my attention when horizon scanning, and that’s made all the difference.
Following on from my previous blog on championing innovation, I wanted to share something a bit more personal this time. I’ll explain how I actually manage to stay informed without being overwhelmed, and how you can do the same, whether you’re a seasoned comms professional or someone who’s just starting to dip their toes into the world of AI and emerging tech.
First, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room (again)
The volume of content on AI right now is extraordinary. New research papers, product launches, opinion pieces – it never stops. For communicators especially, there’s an added layer of complexity: we need to understand these tools well enough to use them responsibly in our work, spot opportunities to apply them, and communicate about them credibly to others. That’s a lot to ask on top of an already busy job.
But here’s the thing I keep coming back to: you don’t need to know everything. You need to know enough and you need to know where to go when you need to know more. Building that habit is a skill in itself, and it’s one worth investing in.
My go-to resources and why I choose them
I’m genuinely picky about what earns a place in my regular reading rotation. My inbox and my attention are both limited, so everything has to earn its spot. Here’s what’s made the cut:
TLDR Newsletters: If you haven’t come across TLDR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) yet, I’d encourage you to have a look. They produce short, digestible daily newsletters covering tech and AI. They also have a dedicated TLDR Marketing edition, which I particularly recommend for comms professionals. It covers the right level of both technology and communications, which makes it genuinely useful for our world rather than just interesting in a general sense. It takes about five minutes to read and I usually pick up at least one thing worth thinking about or sharing with my team.
Last Week in AI: This is my favourite for getting a broader picture of what’s actually moving in the AI space. It’s available as both a Substack newsletter and a podcast, which I love because it means I can consume it however suits my week. I usually read it over a coffee or listen on my commute. It does a great job of cutting through the noise and contextualising developments in a way that does not require a computer science degree to follow.
The Government AI Community of Practice: This one is specifically for my fellow civil servants, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you’re not already a member, join. It’s a space where colleagues from across government share what they’re actually doing with AI – the experiments, the learnings, the questions they’re wrestling with. It’s one of the best ways I’ve found to understand how innovation is landing in a public sector context, which is often quite different from what you read about in the wider tech press.
The British Computing Society (BCS): I’m lucky enough to be a professional member of the BCS for a number of years now. If you would like to read about innovation, AI and emerging technologies with a slightly more technical lens, the BCS shares a range of brilliant thought pieces, often they highlight great examples of public sector innovation, so worth keeping an eye out!
How I decide what deserves my attention
Having good sources is only half the battle. The other half is developing a filter – a sense of what’s actually relevant to you and your work, versus what’s just noise that feels important because everyone’s talking about it.
A few questions I ask myself when something new lands in my feed:
Does this have a realistic application in communications work? Not every AI development is relevant to what we do. A new coding tool or a breakthrough in robotics might be interesting, but if it does not connect to how I can help teams communicate better, or I cannot think of a realistic application for government, I’ll note it and move on.
Is this a trend or a moment? There’s a difference between something that represents a genuine shift in how things work and something that’s just getting a lot of attention this week due to marketing hype. I try to let the hyped stuff go and focus on the longer-term trends as I think this is the area where information overload can happen.
What do the people I trust think about this? I’ve built up a small network of colleagues, inside and outside government communications, who I know have good judgement on these things. If something is genuinely significant, it’ll usually come up in those conversations too, which also gives me a useful sense check. If you’re looking to build your own network of innovation professionals, you can reach out to our team at: adi@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
A practical tip for communications professionals
If you’re a communicator wondering where to start, my honest advice is to focus your energy on understanding AI as a creative and productivity tool first. You don’t need to understand how large language models work behind the scenes, but you will benefit from understanding what they’re good at, where they fall short, and how to use them in a way that’s responsible and effective.
Assist is a great starting point if you haven’t already explored it. It’s built for government communicators, which means you can experiment with it in a context that’s already been considered from an ethical perspective. We have also published guides on how to get the most out of the tool to help your learning.
The takeaway
Staying informed on AI and innovation does not have to mean reading everything, following every account, or feeling perpetually behind. It can mean being deliberate. Pick a small number of trusted sources, build a habit of engaging with them regularly, connect with your colleagues, inside the government and beyond, and give yourself permission to not know everything.
The landscape will keep changing. That’s a given. But if you build a good foundation and stay curious, you’ll find that you’re more ready for those changes than you think.
I’d love to hear what resources you like to read! Let’s continue the conversation in the Innovation community Forum and continue to share ideas and practices together.