Ipsos Facto for automatic transcription of audio recordings

Overview — Ipsos Facto is a secure AI assistant developed by Ipsos UK (launched in 2023) used to generate interview transcripts from audio recordings through automatic transcription. In the Scottish Government it is used to assist the transcription of social-research interviews within a secure "walled" AI environment, supporting greater speed and reduced cost.

How it is used — Recordings are held in a secure area accessible only by the immediate research team. Data entered into Ipsos Facto is treated as confidential and is not used to train or improve the underlying AI models, so it cannot be shared with other teams or clients, and all conversations are deleted after 12 months. The environment includes enterprise-level security features such as two-factor authentication for authorised users.

Scope and limitations — The product may be used across Scottish public-sector policy areas where there is a need to transcribe social-research interviews.

• Provides value for money by reducing the cost of transcription.
• Reduces the time taken to produce transcripts of audio recordings.