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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI tools by the British Board of Film Classification to support content classification and age ratings; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that those tools operate with appropriate oversight.

The Government recognises that the use of AI tools and other forms of technical innovation is increasing. Where these tools are used, they can - as in the case of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) - help increase efficiency in certain processes. Whilst the BBFC operates independently of government, including in the tools and processes it employs, the organisation provides regular updates to government on its work, including the use of AI tools.

The government expects the BBFC to keep at the heart of its work its responsibility for protecting audiences - in particular children - from viewing harmful or inappropriate content. This means ensuring that BBFC Compliance Officers continue, as now, to be fully involved in the classification process; ensuring that AI tools are used to complement rather than replace human oversight of that process; and ensuring the robustness of the safeguards in place around its AI tools, such as audits and spot checks.