The Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) has released a new AI playbook on implementing AI into the public sector.

It includes ten guiding principles for public servants and institutions to follow to understand how AI can be used across government services and how to mitigate any risks associated with AI technology.

“The AI Playbook will support the public sector in better understanding what AI can and cannot do, and how to mitigate the risks it brings,” Feyal Clark MP, secretary of state for AI and digital government, said. “It will help ensure that AI technologies are deployed in responsible and beneficial ways, safeguarding the security, wellbeing, and trust of the public we serve.”

The ten principles focus on guidance for the safe, responsible, and effective use of AI in government organisations:

● Principle 1: You know what AI is and what its limitations are
● Principle 2: You use AI lawfully, ethically and responsibly
● Principle 3: You know how to use AI securely
● Principle 4: You have meaningful human control at the right stage
● Principle 5: You understand how to manage the AI life cycle
● Principle 6: You use the right tool for the job
● Principle 7: You are open and collaborative
● Principle 8: You work with commercial colleagues from the start
● Principle 9: You have the skills and expertise needed to implement and use AI
● Principle 10: You use these principles alongside your organisation’s policies
and have the right assurance in place

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The Playbook includes in-depth explanations for what AI is and how it works to ensure that public servants are informed about the technology they adopt. It also features several warnings about AI’s many shortfalls, such as its biases and generative AI’s penchant for hallucinations.

It further explains the importance of good data quality in informing better AI systems, and the fact that AI and the answers it generates cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate.

The Playbook also expands on the data protection issues that arise with using AI systems, as well as the governance and regulation complexity that comes with using the technology.

Assembling a team with the appropriate skills is also vital to developing AI in government services, which can be especially challenging with the overall gap in AI skills across the UK.

IT leaders in the public sector were about a third more likely to say their team struggles with a lack of AI skills compared to their private sector counterparts.

While the government pushes for more AI across its systems, it may struggle find the appropriate talent as private sector competitors offer premium salaries for AI skills, which can squeeze out public sector budgets.