Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Artificial Intelligence

(asked on 11th June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment they have made of the potential (a) threats and (b) opportunities of artificial intelligence in respect of their Department’s responsibilities.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 21st June 2021

Defra maintains a high-level, persistent watch on emerging technologies via our Digital, Data and Technology Services innovations team’s emerging technologies radar and the Chief Scientific Adviser’s Office Futures team. As such, Defra both recognises the potential for artificial intelligence to play an important part in ensuring that data and science are at the heart of decision making, and is also aware of the general threats and opportunities afforded by AI.

The opportunities and considerations associated with the use of AI continue to be explored, as outlined in the guidance on building and using artificial intelligence in the public sector, published on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/a-guide-to-using-artificial-intelligence-in-the-public-sector

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