Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps they are taking to use (a) artificial intelligence and (b) data to help increase their Department's productivity.

Artificial Intelligence and data offer significant opportunities for the FCDO to enhance decision-making, productivity and increase the effectiveness of its interventions.

The FCDO is implementing a multi-year Digital, Data, and Cyber Security Strategy to transform its operational capabilities and ensure it has the digital backbone of technology, data and expertise to enable these. A new team, FCDO.ai, has been established to lead on AI adoption and ensure its responsible use.

The FCDO is collaborating with partners across HMG and internationally, as well as with the private sector including start-ups and SMEs, to exploit shared opportunities and address the new and evolving security risks posed by these technological advances.