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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.

While no artificial intelligence (AI) tools are being used to draft legislation or policy at present, the Department has conducted exploratory initiatives for AI alongside other digital tools to assist drafters within legislation and policy domains.

Defra has investigated AI opportunities to assist with statutory guidance and comparative analysis between the UK and partner jurisdictions. Further work has examined the potential of AI to support briefing and correspondence within technical policy areas. These tools are designed strictly to check and critique drafts, rather than replace expert drafters who maintain full responsibility and oversight.

More generally, AI productivity tools have been deployed across Defra to assist in day-to-day tasks. This is supported by cross-government guidance and training for civil servants supporting the safe and responsible use of AI, such as through the AI Knowledge Hub, Data & AI Ethics Framework and Model for Responsible Innovation.