HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the UK, has “accelerated” its AI skills programme, with 25,549 employees trained on Microsoft 365 Copilot, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act to the software provider Acting Office.
In the 2024–2025 period, staff completed more than 80,000 digital, data and technology courses through HMRC’s Digital Academy, including over 11,000 focused on AI.
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The data also shows that 13.2% of HMRC’s 66,000 employees have taken its “One Big Thing” AI learning module.
HMRC’s Digital Academy, launched in 2023, continues to train field staff, senior leaders and back-office teams for what the authority describes as “an AI-enabled future”.
Acting Office CEO Kenny MacAulay said: “The sooner HMRC catches up with the AI, the better. Accountancy firms across the country remain like a rabbit in the headlights with this technology, with many bungling implementations or avoiding the inevitable altogether.
“AI is here to stay, and forward-thinking organisations need a complete rethink about how they use it to deliver value, not just automating simple tasks, but overhauling entire workflows. Firms that treat AI as a bolt-on will be left behind.”
HMRC said it is also running wider internal training, including boot camps, accelerators and Associate Data Engineering programmes, and that around 80 staff are enrolled on AI and Data Science degree apprenticeships combining study and practical work.
Earlier this month, HMRC signed a ten-year agreement with Quantexa worth £175m ($233m) to modernise its data architecture, laying the groundwork for the “sovereign, governed” use of AI across core operations.
In another development earlier this year, UHY Hacker Young reported that HMRC’s average return from investigations into individuals and small businesses increased by 23% in the past year to £24,700 ($33,067) per case, up from £20,100.
HMRC closed 255,000 such investigations over the period, securing £6.3bn in additional compliance yield. UHY Hacker Young Partner Phil Kinzett-Evans said the higher revenue from enquiries reflects growing case complexity.
