Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for what reason the AI Council was disbanded; whether the AI taskforce includes any members of the AI council; and what the terms of reference are for each of those bodies.

Now the terms of the AI Council members have come to an end, DSIT will be establishing a wider group of expert advisers to input on a range of priority issues across the department, including artificial intelligence, in order to expand the diversity of input on policy issues.

The AI Council’s terms of reference established members would sit on the council for a fixed-term period of up to three years, and all current members are invited to join this wider group of expertise.

The wider group of expertise will be separate but complementary to the recently established Foundation Model Taskforce which will drive forward critical work on AI safety and research.

Since it was established, the Council has advised Government on landmark policies including the National AI Strategy and the recent AI Regulation White Paper, which committed to reviewing its role and how Government structures and experts can support the UK’s evolving AI priorities. AI Council members have been invited to join the wider group of technology advisors as we establish the Foundation Model Taskforce.