Reform Description

We will deliver a public facing register of AI used in the Scottish Public Sector. As well as sharing information openly about how and when we use AI, the register will also provide a governance and knowledge sharing platform for those developing AI solutions. 

Problem(s) Addressed by Reform

Our strategy is built on the principles of being trustworthy, ethical and inclusive and the further development of the Register will help us to address issues across all of these areas.

One of the key messages we have received while developing and delivering the strategy is that the public are often not afraid of AI as such, they are afraid of it being used without their knowledge. They are equally concerned about the concept of AI making decisions without any human checking or intervention. The Register allows us to share with them exactly what data we are using, how we are using it and gives them a route to get in touch and ask questions.
The governance modules within the tool also aid developers in ensuring that they have completed all due diligence in developing their solution, then that information is shared with the public...encouraging trust and deeper understanding.

As well as sharing information about tools which will increase inclusion through their very purpose, the guidance for the development of good ethical AI and good data management, allows us to be aware of and tackle issues of bias or misrepresentation in our data. Again describing this in our public Register increases public trust in how we use technology.

Relevance to OGP Values

The very purpose of the Register is to aid transparency, we believe the public will only trust us as an organisation and the potential benefits of AI as a tool, if we are open and honest with them.

The Register also offers points of contact for questions around the AI use cases so we are directly making ourselves accountable and responsive to the needs of the Scottish public.

We are also working very hard to make sure that we continue to listen to people and to ensure that our AI developers have an opportunity to hear public views as they start the development journey. The AI Alliance (the partnership between the Scottish Government and Edinburgh University's Data Lab) are delivering an on-going series of topic based public participation sessions, designed to capture the views of wider society. Our plan is to make reports of these sessions available to AI developers so they can make sure public concerns are at the heart of their work.

Intended Results

That all Scottish Government core and Agencies, will use the AI Register to share their use with the public, and work to onboard the wider sector will be well underway.

The governance tool and risk management process will be linked up fully to the development process, ensuring compliance in all developments.

That we will have made a significant culture change within the public sector to ensure that the transparency and openness we aspire to, is shared by all.

Milestones

There is procurement work underway to renew the contract for the tool
We are moving historic use cases from the old to the new product
A policy, to provide direction for the governance is being developed
A full data management process to support AI use to be developed
Continuing cross sector communications to support awareness

Is Civil Society Involved?

The Register has been built following public involvement in the development of the strategy and it continues to give people the opportunity to engage as they wish.

We frequently share information on our products via social media and online platforms and engage with people at our annual and regional summits.

Once fully up and running we plan awareness raising and feedback sessions to ensure it meets public needs.