Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that human biases are not replicated in artificial intelligence technologies used in public services.

In June 2018, the Government published the Data Ethics Framework that sets out clear principles for how data should be used in the public sector. The framework helps government maximise the value of data whilst also setting a high level of requirements for transparency and accountability when developing or deploying new data technology.

The Government also recently set up the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to provide independent, expert advice on the measures needed to enable and ensure safe, ethical and innovative uses of AI and data-driven technologies. One of the Centre's first projects will investigate the potential for bias in decisions made using algorithms. An interim update on these projects is expected in the summer. This work will play an important role in promoting and ensuring fairness and the ethical use of data to deliver maximum benefits for society.