A recent survey in five countries found a lack of internal skills for using AI to be the primary barrier to government AI adoption, with 60 per cent of public sector respondents highlighting this challenge. Public sector respondents were a third more likely to indicate a skills gap in their organisation compared to the industry average. National-level reviews find comparable results, with 70 per cent of UK Government bodies reporting skills as a barrier to AI adoption. Skills challenges limit governments’ ability to take advantage of the latest developments in AI and can contribute to reluctance among public servants to accept the use of AI in general. In several functions, governments are struggling to determine exactly what kinds of skills are needed, and for whom.