Purpose

To bring
forward an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy for the
organisation.
 
The
policy has been created to outline the council’s AI
governance, responsibilities, risk management and operational
processes. It applies to all council officers, Councillors,
contractors and subcontractors. 
 
The
policy has been subject to 30 day
consultation with staff and the council’s recognised trade
unions.
 
Following
consideration at the General Purposes Committee, the policy has now
been reviewed by the Cabinet.

Decision

Cabinet agreed the following:
 

To approve the proposed AI policy ahead of
implementation and rollout across the organisation.

Reasons for the decision

The reasons for this decision
are to ensure that the council’s overall management of
Artificial Intelligence is optimised by:
 

Demonstrating our commitment to embracing AI as part
of our wider transformation programme.

Providing a high level framework for AI use with
comprehensive guidance to officers and Councillors, including
reporting issues.

Laying out the robust ethical, governance and
compliance measures that govern the council’s safe and
responsible AI use.

Positioning the council as best as possible for
future developments in the AI field.

Alternative options considered

The alternative was not to
approve the proposed policy. This was rejected on the basis of the
potential risks to the organisation and to our customers. Given
that AI is already in use in some service areas, and as the
aspiration is to increase the use of AI in order to realise
efficiencies and modernise the organisation, there needs to be an
agreed framework in place which sets out the terms of acceptable
use. Without clear and appropriate guidelines in place, or a wider
structure of governance supporting the use of AI, the council could
open itself up to the threat of loss of data, cyber breach or
inappropriate use.