Government ‘must play central role in AI development’
Government at the heart of AI development - and must play its part by adopting more technology, a parliamentary report has said
Government at the heart of AI development - and must play its part by adopting more technology, a parliamentary report has said
The Government must be at the centre of the development of artificial intelligence (AI), a parliamentary report has said.
AI in the UK: ready, willing and able? published by the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, says that the UK is in a strong position to be a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). This position, coupled with the wider adoption of AI, could deliver a major boost to the economy for years to come, but only if the Government plays a central role in its development.
The report recommends:
The report’s authors say that the importance of government as a customer, nationally and locally, should not be forgotten, most notably because it can both procure AI solutions for the public sector and adopt the technology, thereby supporting UK-based technology companies.
BSA (The Software Alliance), a global software advocate, said: “The UK Government could help demonstrate AI’s potential benefits by investing in innovative AI implementations in the public sector.” TechUK suggested that “the use of AI virtual agents across Government departments and the public sector could save an estimated £4bn a year,” while Microsoft argued that deployment of artificial intelligence in the public sector could enable more informed policy decisions, and innovative uses of AI could help address public and societal challenges.
The Government points out that it is championing the use of AI in various projects, including:
Witnesses for the report suggested that Government procurement could be used to encourage greater adoption of artificial intelligence, both through the companies contracting directly with Departments and via the Crown Commercial Service.
Witnesses also point out that the government should be doing much more than they already are. SCAMPI, a research project at City, University of London, said: “the UK public sector … is currently benefiting little from the development and use of artificial intelligence, as few initiatives have been funded or reported.”
To ensure greater uptake of AI in the public sector, and to lever the Government’s position as a customer in the UK, we recommend that public procurement regulations are reviewed and amended to ensure that UK-based companies offering AI solutions are invited to tender and given the greatest opportunity to participate. The Crown Commercial Service, in conjunction with the Government Digital Office, should review the Government Service Design Manual and the Technology Code of Practice to ensure that the procurement of AI-powered systems designed by UK companies is encouraged and incentivised, and done in an ethical manner.
We also encourage the Government to be bold in its approach to the procurement of artificial intelligence systems, and to encourage the development of possible solutions to public policy challenges through limited speculative investment and support to businesses which helps them convert ideas to prototypes, in order to determine whether their solutions are viable. The value of AI systems which are deployed to the taxpayer will compensate for any money lost in supporting the development of other tools.
Finally, with respect to public procurement, we recommend the establishment of an online bulletin board for the advertisement of challenges which the Government Office for AI and the GovTech Catalyst have identified from across Government and the wider public sector where there could be the potential for innovative tech- and AI-based solutions.
The Government’s leadership in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence must be accompanied by action. We welcome the announcement of the GovTech Catalyst and hope that it can open the doors of Whitehall to the burgeoning AI development sector in the UK.
One of the recommendations of the report is for a cross-sector AI Code to be established, which can be adopted nationally, and internationally. The Committee’s suggested five principles for such a code are:
Finally, a number of additional recommendations were made in the report, including:
The full report can be viewed here.