How is AI being used in UK government? House of Commons research library report published

The House of Commons research library has published a report on ‘AI in UK government departments’ (here).

The briefing paper ‘provides an overview of the types of AI applications that are being used or experimented with in central government departments. It is not a comprehensive list’.

The paper includes examples of how AI is tested or used in or by various government departments, such as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Ministry of Defence, Department for Education, HM Revenue and Customs, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Transport, and Department for Work and Pensions. There are also examples of other AI related work, such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency AI sandbox known as AI Airlock.

The paper compliments the House of Commons' other introductions to AI:

• Artificial intelligence: An explainer (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology – POST)
• Artificial intelligence a reading list (House of Commons Library)
• Artificial intelligence glossary (POST)

There are other ways to identify when and where Ai is being used, or tested, by government departments. For example, public sector organisations may publish (or be required to publish) in the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard records of algorithmic tools that they are developing or deploying (here).  Or, other parts of the government may survey or inquire into the use of AI in government, such as the National Audit Office (here) or Public Accounts Committee (here).  Each has a different scope, may be subject to different exceptions, and will capture information at different times, so any snapshot of the use (or intended use) of AI in government will likely only be a partial insight into what the UK public sector is doing with AI.

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