UK Government to use AI to predict MP response to policy
The UK Government is creating an artificial intelligence (AI) model to predict when policy could face significant opposition from MPs.
Currently being developed by machine learning experts, the technology aims to predict how civil servants and MPs will react to new policies, allowing ministers to put a “handling strategy” in place to help them get laws through parliament.
The tool, known as Parlex, promises to “gauge parliamentary sentiment towards specific issues, determining whether a policy will be well-received or face significant opposition”.
It vows to help ministers “understand the political climate” and mitigate potential challenges before a policy is introduced.
The software analyses Hansard, the official parliamentary record of debates, to provide insights on how parliament would respond to a new policy.
It has already been tested to show the extent of support for a potential law to introduce 20mph speed limits and low-traffic neighbourhoods in England.
Holyrood has approached the Scottish Government on whether a similar approach could be introduced north of the border.
The news follows on from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s AI speech. Last week, he announced a raft of measures that put the technology at the heart of economic recovery and the revamp of public services.
During his address, he described AI as the “force of change that will transform the lives of working people for the better.”
Starmer confirmed the Labour government would take on a “pro-innovation” regulatory approach to AI, marking a U-turn from what was indicated in the King’s Speech last year which vowed to introduce new measures to target those developing the most powerful models.
Parlex is not the only model being tested to help public services. A tool named Consult looks to analyse and summarise responses to public consultations, relieving civil servants from the responsibility of reading through all the submissions.
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