Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of staff Ofcom employs in each directorate.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This information is set out in Ofcom's Annual Reports and Accounts 2023-24.
Ofcom employs 1,483 employees (full time equivalents). Non-Executive Members of the Ofcom Board, Content Board, Advisory Committees and employees seconded to Ofcom are excluded from employee numbers.
The breakdown for each Directorate is as follows:
Broadcasting and Media Group - 118
Networks and Communications Group - 146
Spectrum Group - 242
Online Safety Group - 189
Economics and Analytics Group - 117
Legal Group - 119
Strategy and Research Group - 157
Corporate Group - 363
Central – 31
The Corporate Group includes Finance, HR, the Contact Centre, ICT, Public Policy and Nations teams, Communications, Governance and Accountability, and Data and Information.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to deliver the recommendations outlined in the Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Review: Digital Technologies policy paper, published on 15 March 2023.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Pro-innovation Regulation of Technologies Digital Technologies Review published by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser set out 11 recommendations to support the UK’s regulatory approach to AI, facilitate the Government’s public services transformation programme through data access, and focus regulator efforts on innovation in transport, cyber security and space. The Government has already made progress, launching the AI and Digital Hub in April 2024 and gaining Royal Assent for the Automated Vehicles Bill in May 2024.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how different jurisdictions' approaches to text and data mining have affected their AI sector growth rates.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Copyright law is territorial. Other jurisdictions vary in how they handle text and data mining, and the impact on AI sector growth is challenging to assess.
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024. This seeks views on stakeholders’ experience of approaches internationally. The consultation closes on 25 February
Government will continue to talk to our international partners, as AI is an area of shared interest and activity.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the Artificial Intelligence Opportunities Action Plan.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The AI Opportunities Action Plan will set out recommended actions for Government to grow the UK’s domestic AI sector and drive adoption of AI across the economy to boost growth and improve products and services. The action plan will be published soon.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for adoption of artificial intelligence in the public sector.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to harnessing AI and other technologies to deliver the government’s five missions and improve citizens’ lives. Public sector adoption is a key part of the forthcoming AI Opportunities Action Plan. The plan will detail how we can reimagine our public services by ensuring the public sector takes advantage of the best emerging use-cases and tools.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the risk of AI-generated misinformation in elections.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has in place established systems and processes, to protect the democratic integrity of the UK. We are working extensively across Government to ensure we are ready to rapidly respond to any threats to our democratic processes. The Government’s Defending Democracy Taskforce seeks to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference, by engaging across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, the Electoral Commission, the private sector, and civil society. The threat to democracy from AI was discussed at the AI Safety Summit in November 2023, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to international collaboration on this shared challenge.
The Government is working closely with social media platforms to ensure they are taking action to protect the integrity of the next election. Implementation of the Online Safety Act and the Foreign Interference Offence will make a significant difference here. For example, under the Online Safety Act, all companies subject to the safety duties will be required to take action against illegal content online, including misinformation and disinformation where it amounts to a criminal offence, and will be required to take steps to remove this content - including where it is produced by relevant AI bots - if they become aware of it on their services.