Get to know the register
A short guide to what this register contains, why it exists, and how you can take part in shaping the systems it describes.
What is the AI Register? What information can I find from this page?
The AI Register is a window into the artificial intelligence systems in use or in development across the public sector. For each system you can read what it does, who is responsible for it, what stage of its life it has reached and what data it relies on.
Each entry is published as a transparency report. The reports are written to be read by anyone, not only by specialists, and they are updated whenever a system changes in a way that matters to the people it affects.
How does AI impact me and my everyday life?
Public services increasingly use software to help sort, prioritise and route work. That can mean a benefits claim is triaged sooner, a repair request reaches the right team first time, or a document you need becomes easier to find.
It also means decisions that affect you may be supported by a system rather than made entirely by a person. You have a right to know where that happens, and to ask questions about it. That is what this register is for.
What does artificial intelligence mean? What is AI used for?
We use "artificial intelligence" to describe computer systems that carry out tasks we traditionally associate with human intelligence: recognising patterns, classifying text or images, forecasting demand, or generating a draft for a person to review.
Most of the systems in this register are narrow and specific. They do one job — rank, classify, extract, summarise — inside a process that a person still owns. None of them makes a final decision about a person without a human in the loop.
What ethical principles are followed in the use of artificial intelligence?
Every system published here is assessed against a shared set of principles before it goes live, and again whenever its purpose changes.
- AI should benefit people and the planet.
- AI should be transparent and explainable to the people it affects.
- AI should be fair, and should not entrench existing disadvantage.
- AI should be safe, secure and robust throughout its life.
- Accountability for an AI system always rests with a named person, never with the system.
How do we engage with our stakeholders and citizens? How can you get involved?
We consult on systems before they are built and while they are running. Consultations are published on the Participate page, alongside a summary of what we heard and what changed as a result.
You can also comment on any individual system from its transparency report, or write to the register team directly. We read everything that arrives and we publish what we learn.