Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Cabinet Office’s Equality Hub sponsors the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

At the EHRC, between 20-25 people are spending part of their time considering how AI affects their area of focus. Excluding staffing costs, in the 2022-23, EHRC direct expenditure related to AI work was approximately £160k.

AI is a priority for the Equality and Human Rights Commission and is included in their strategic plan 2022 – 2025. The Commission is receiving a flat-cash settlement for 2023-2024, which, along with the wider public sector, means they will need to prioritise and will have limited flexibility within the year to increase resources available for work on AI.