Five Government departments use AI to draft responses to questions in Parliament
Five Government departments are using artificial intelligence to answer questions in Parliament, The Telegraph can reveal.
Labour ministers were accused of providing 'stock answers generated by a computer' when responding to questions tabled by their fellow MPs.
It comes after it emerged that Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, has used AI software ChatGPT to help him come up with policy advice.
All departments were asked last month by Tory backbencher Peter Bedford whether they were using AI to respond to MPs' parliamentary written questions.
The Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Education, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Foreign Office all confirmed that they were.
Justin Madders, the business minister, said a 'small proportion' of staff in his department had access to AI tools. 'These tools may be used to support the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions,' he said.
Janet Daby, the minister for children and families, said the Department for Education 'sometimes uses artificial intelligence software tools to support the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions'.
Andrew Western, a work and pensions minister, said the DWP 'has access to AI software tools to support day-to-day workings such as the drafting process for responding to written parliamentary questions'.
Feryal Clark, a minister at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said staff 'do have access to AI software tools to support the drafting process'.
And Catherine West, a Foreign Office minister, said the department 'has made Microsoft Copilot available to staff as part of a trial'.
She continued: 'It is therefore possible that officials have used Copilot to assist them when drafting replies to written parliamentary questions.'
Ministers from all departments insisted responses generated by AI were reviewed by policy officials before receiving sign-off from Government ministers.
'Potentially sensitive information'
Mr Bedford said the use of AI software to formulate official ministerial responses was 'alarming' and insisted that MPs 'deserve proper answers'.
He told The Telegraph: 'I have concerns with Government departments sharing potentially sensitive information with AI tools that have a global footprint.
'Given the limited regulation around AI, its use, and data sharing it is alarming that there is no overarching Government policy on its use.
'Furthermore, as democratically elected representatives Members of Parliament deserve proper answers to their parliamentary questions, rather than bland, stock answers generated by a computer system.'
Earlier this year, it emerged that Mr Kyle, whose brief covers AI, asked ChatGPT why small businesses in the UK had been so slow adopting the technology.
He went on to request suggestions for the 'best podcasts' he could appear on to reach a 'wide audience', while also asking ChatGPT to define 'digital inclusion'.
There have been growing fears that Labour could introduce a wealth tax after it backed AI software that can value people's homes.
The Welsh Government ordered a computer programme that relies on AI to review council tax bands.
Ministers later admitted the software could be adapted for use in England as they failed to rule out introducing a similar tax in the autumn.
Sir Keir Starmer outlined proposals for a 20-fold increase in public computing capacity at the start of the year.
The Prime Minister has also pledged to invest in a new supercomputer and 'AI growth zones' and billions of pounds in private investment in data centres as part of plans for Britain to become an 'AI superpower'.
More than 4,000 megawatts (MW) of data centre capacity is currently under construction or in development in Britain.
This means that more than a nuclear power station's worth of electricity would be needed in order to meet a surge in demand for AI under Sir Keir's data blitz plans.
In turn, this could raise concerns about demands on Britain's electricity grid as Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, plans to increase reliance on renewable energy.
A Government spokesman said: 'Not one parliamentary question has been answered solely by AI and it is false to suggest otherwise. Officials may use AI to help speed up drafting responses, but will always make sure they are accurate and ultimately signed off by ministers.'
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