The Ada Lovelace Institute is calling for a Parliamentary inquiry into the confluence of private industry and public sector AI integration to weed out conflicts of interest and revolving door dynamics.

The Institute continues to investigate the public’s perception of AI’s rapid rise and adoption, especially amid the public sector and public services.

While politicians tout ambitions to make the UK an AI superpower, the public is still behind when it comes to AI trust.

Ada Lovelace Institute’s research found that the public view of AI is nuanced, and often context dependent, and are often influenced by a person’s individual experiences and characteristics.

However, the Institute did find that the public is concerned about AI transparency, the regulatory powers meant to keep them in check, and the increased potential for personal data access when private companies and their technologies partner with public services.

The public want clear evidence and explainability when it comes to AI, with justification for why AI tools are being integrated into public services. People affected by public services want to be involved in the proposed integration of AI in these services.

The public is also increasing their calls for stronger governance when it comes to AI, with transparent appeals and redress processes for potential faults. The Institute found that the public are “not convinced” that existing regulations are enough to ensure that AI works for the public, supporting overall public welfare, and supports people over profit.

The Ada Lovelace Institute therefore recommends that the UK Parliament initiates an inquiry into the private sector’s involvement in shaping government policy when it comes to AI, with a review of procurement decisions related to public sector AI.

The review should not only investigate the role of the private sector in providing advice on government use of AI in the public sector, but the role of tech companies in shaping AI policy as well as the media narrative they generate when it comes to touting AI’s benefits.

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The Institute also suggests that the UK Parliament must reassess measures that aim to tackle conflicts of interest and the ‘revolving door’ dynamics between the tech sector and the government.

“At a time when AI is being offered as a solution to a wide range of public sector problems, the public are concerned about the motivations of private sector involvement,” the report, titled License to Build, said.

“The public expect transparency and that public sector AI prioritises people over profit. This is especially important given that public awareness of AI in the public sector is low.”