Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders in the (a) life sciences and (b) technology sectors on the potential contribution of artificial intelligence to supporting the uptake of (i) non-animal new approach methodologies and (ii) alternatives to animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.

Minister Vallance hosted a roundtable on 05.09.24 with industry representatives, including discussing the application of AI and officials have kept in regular contact with industry since then. The Government is also co-funding seven Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), two of which focus on AI which will support developing alternative methods.