Ofwat publishes AI adoption roadmap for England and Wales water sector
By
Daniel Ware
A snack-sized bagel for a snack-sized appetite.
Summary
Ofwat has published an AI adoption plan for the water sector in England and Wales, outlining its approach to supporting safe and responsible AI deployment across water and wastewater services. The strategy, set for June 2026, acknowledges that AI is already being used in operations like leakage detection, network optimization, customer service, billing, and regulatory reporting. Ofwat emphasizes that the focus has shifted from whether to use AI to how it can be deployed effectively to improve customer outcomes during the transition to new regulators.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe focus is no longer whether AI should be used, but how it can be deployed in ways that improve outcomes for customers.
AI is already becoming embedded across utility operations, from leakage detection and network optimisation to customer service, billing and regulatory reporting.
Ofwat has published a new artificial intelligence (AI) adoption plan for the water sector, setting out its initial approach to supporting safe and responsible AI deployment.
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