The ANGEL Chronicles
Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2026 3:09 pm
We don't have many Britphags here, so I thought I'd tell you guys about some interesting shit that's happening over here that I rarely see discussed online.
In late 2029 the British Government declared the introduction of a new form of ID that combined together all identification into one single digital-enabled card. This is linked to an account you have with the government, and you can use it either from your phone through an app or with a physical card. They called it the UK-ID. These are common around the world now but Britain was the first place to really push for them, you probably remember this. What's less talked about is the system that they announced alongside it, that being what people call the ANGEL Button.
Both of these saw a lot of resistance from people. They started petitions against them on the government website, but as is usually the case, if the government wants something they'll do it, no matter how many people oppose it. They debated both petitions in parliament but both items were passed through regardless and the petitions were turned down.
They introduced the UK-ID late the next year, and it was like Tony Blair's BritCard idea on steroids. It folded in every piece of information the government had about you. Criminal record, NHS records, personal details, name changes, marital status, immigration records, national insurance, pension, benefits, employment record, and when data vendors were mandated to provide the government with a copy of the data they had on UK residents your digital footprint was added to that as well. You can see why people protested against it but it didn't do much.
Well, fast forward 3 years (in 2033) and the government actually managed to get into production the second system they had in mind, which was a way to lessen the load on emergency services. They named it the ANGEL Network, and installed boxes across the country you could operate with your UK-ID to summon an "ANGEL" when you had any "non-emergency issues". The reason behind this is that supposedly the NHS, police, and fire departments were stretched too thin, so they wanted to lessen the load on them. They got Boston Dynamics to make these walking robots that can be deployed when you insert your id card into an ANGEL box and press the button. They know everything there is to know about you and can help with small problems like breaking up bar fights, or calming you down during a panic attack, or even walk you home at night if you're scared (and tbh there's plenty of reason for that nowadays.)
The AI for them was interestingly enough developed by a company called Serco. These guys are pretty notorious in Britain as the one company who made all the refugee camps back in the 20s, but they're really just the one company that will do anything the British government asks them to. Their name stands for SERvices COmpany, SerCo. Because of this contract though, they quickly became the biggest AI company in Britain, so much so the government actually filed an antitrust lawsuit against them, so they split up into a temporary subsidiary company called sercoAI, or sAI for short. It's kinda stupid, because the government gave them this contract, but I guess they filed the lawsuit because they were supposed to. The end result is not very different it's just a subsidiary as opposed to the main company, but there is a clause that the government can request the subsidiary be made independent "if they deem it is required".
The ANGELs themselves are quite interesting in design. They made them androgynous, and quite anime-esque? They're supposed to be non-threatening, because they're supposed to assist little kids too and you don't want a scary robot coming to them if they're distressed. But they tried to make sure they're very visible so you can see them at all times. They have a "halo" on their heads that lights up, their eyes light up too since they're on little screens, and their wings and hair are made of some retro-reflective material. They have a hi-vis yellow dress with the little ANGEL logo (picrel) on their chest, and they have an orange button-up shirt underneath.
It's still quite weird to see one out at night because of how much they stand out due to all that hi-vis material, I guess they nailed the "not of this earth" appearance I guess. The reception to them has been mixed. Some really hate them because they essentially expand the government's profile on you in each interaction. Some really love them because they find them comforting to be around. Some think the emergency services were never really stretched that thin, and they misreported data to the government so they can get paid for less work. It does seem that a lot more tasks get pushed on the ANGELs nowadays than they were supposed to handle. I've seen some places report they can do CPR and stuff now?
Either way, I think this is at the very least interesting, and I'd like to keep this thread as a sort of documentation of things about and surrounding the ANGELs. A living chronicle of sorts. I'll expand it as I find more things to post. Please let me know what you think!
In late 2029 the British Government declared the introduction of a new form of ID that combined together all identification into one single digital-enabled card. This is linked to an account you have with the government, and you can use it either from your phone through an app or with a physical card. They called it the UK-ID. These are common around the world now but Britain was the first place to really push for them, you probably remember this. What's less talked about is the system that they announced alongside it, that being what people call the ANGEL Button.
Both of these saw a lot of resistance from people. They started petitions against them on the government website, but as is usually the case, if the government wants something they'll do it, no matter how many people oppose it. They debated both petitions in parliament but both items were passed through regardless and the petitions were turned down.
They introduced the UK-ID late the next year, and it was like Tony Blair's BritCard idea on steroids. It folded in every piece of information the government had about you. Criminal record, NHS records, personal details, name changes, marital status, immigration records, national insurance, pension, benefits, employment record, and when data vendors were mandated to provide the government with a copy of the data they had on UK residents your digital footprint was added to that as well. You can see why people protested against it but it didn't do much.
Well, fast forward 3 years (in 2033) and the government actually managed to get into production the second system they had in mind, which was a way to lessen the load on emergency services. They named it the ANGEL Network, and installed boxes across the country you could operate with your UK-ID to summon an "ANGEL" when you had any "non-emergency issues". The reason behind this is that supposedly the NHS, police, and fire departments were stretched too thin, so they wanted to lessen the load on them. They got Boston Dynamics to make these walking robots that can be deployed when you insert your id card into an ANGEL box and press the button. They know everything there is to know about you and can help with small problems like breaking up bar fights, or calming you down during a panic attack, or even walk you home at night if you're scared (and tbh there's plenty of reason for that nowadays.)
The AI for them was interestingly enough developed by a company called Serco. These guys are pretty notorious in Britain as the one company who made all the refugee camps back in the 20s, but they're really just the one company that will do anything the British government asks them to. Their name stands for SERvices COmpany, SerCo. Because of this contract though, they quickly became the biggest AI company in Britain, so much so the government actually filed an antitrust lawsuit against them, so they split up into a temporary subsidiary company called sercoAI, or sAI for short. It's kinda stupid, because the government gave them this contract, but I guess they filed the lawsuit because they were supposed to. The end result is not very different it's just a subsidiary as opposed to the main company, but there is a clause that the government can request the subsidiary be made independent "if they deem it is required".
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