Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has conducted an equality impact assessment on the increase in the use of AI within the Civil Service.

There is no centralised equality impact assessment on the rollout of AI tools in government as a whole. AI tools can be deployed for a wide-ranging set of purposes and it is down to individual departments to conduct EIAs where appropriate, irrespective of whether an AI tool is involved in the planning or execution of their policy ambitions.

The DSIT owned Data and AI Ethics Framework (DAIEF) provides a set of principles and activities to guide the responsible development, procurement and use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector. It helps public servants understand ethical considerations and how to address these in their work. The DAIEF explains the need to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty and Equality Act 2010 and signposts the EHRC guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty to provide further information.