Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps they are taking to use (a) artificial intelligence and (b) data to help increase their Department's productivity.

MHCLG is committed to improving its productivity, including through artificial intelligence and effective use of data.

MHCLG’s Foundational AI Team is currently in the group testing phase of introducing a licensed version of Microsoft’s Copilot to staff. This initiative is designed to evaluate the outcome of integrating Copilot into our department’s workflow to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing productivity and collaboration. Staff involved in this testing phase are participating in periodic surveys and evaluation meetings so we can measure both the impact to productivity and staff satisfaction with Copilot’s current capabilities. If the testing phase is a success, we will consider a wider deployment to the department that is supported by appropriate evidence and business cases.

The MHCLG’s Foundational AI Team is also exploring the in-house design and production of dedicated AI chatbot tools tailored to be used with specific sets of data and information that the department holds. These tools would be configured to use data from specific documents and datasets, making them highly responsive in individual areas of MHCLG’s work.

To ensure this and other AI work across the entire department is done safely and securely, we are also refreshing the department's internal generative AI policy to make sure it is up to date regarding the use of sensitive data by staff.

We will continue to regularly review our usage of AI and data to maximise productivity benefits for staff and the public.