To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on an AI strategy.

Mrs Little-Pengelly

Mr Speaker —. Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, with your permission, I will answer questions 3 and 7 together. The Office of AI and Digital, under the leadership of Professor Helen McCarthy, is preparing a comprehensive strategy for the ethical adoption of AI in the public sector. That is a collaborative effort, which draws on expertise from across government, industry and academia. The scoping phase of that work is now complete. It incorporated input from a diverse group of stakeholders, which has been instrumental in shaping the key pillars of the strategy. To support that drafting phase, the office set up two key groups: an external AI advisory panel, made up of industry leaders, including the Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC) and local universities; and a government AI network, which brings together representatives from all nine Departments. Efforts are under way to consolidate feedback from the advisory panel and the government AI network. The government AI network will reconvene in December to review and discuss an early draft of the strategy. Taking an iterative approach will help to ensure that the strategy is robust, inclusive and future-proofed. At the heart of the strategy is a firm commitment to the ethical and responsible use of AI, which is embedded in the governance pillar. The governance pillar is grounded in the principles of transparency, respect and fairness, ensuring that AI is deployed ethically and responsibly across Departments. By embedding those principles, we reinforce our commitment to inclusive governance and to ensure that AI solutions are developed and used in ways that are morally responsible, socially beneficial and aligned with human values.

Madam Principal Deputy Speaker

Question 7 was withdrawn, so it cannot be grouped. Only question 3 can be considered.

Mrs Little-Pengelly

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Due to the seamless transition from the previous item of business into Oral Answers to Questions, I do not have the updated file.

Madam Principal Deputy Speaker

It is OK; I have been called worse.

Mrs Little-Pengelly

Nor did I realise that question 7 had been withdrawn. That is why I requested permission for the questions to be grouped. Apologies. The Member is absolutely right. We have a timetable for phase 2 and phase 3. Phase 2 is now complete. As I am sure the Member is aware, a task and finish group has been established by Professor Helen McCarthy, who is in our new post of Chief Scientific and Technology Adviser (CSTA). She has been a real breath of fresh air. That shows the benefit, even though hers is only a part-time posting, of someone's coming in from outside the system with knowledge and experience of, and passion for, the area. She is really trying to drive through what we require from the strategy. That work is well under way. As I said, that group has been convened, and she has been engaging with a wide range of people. We have established six core pillars for the new AI strategy and action plan, and the aim is that it will cover up to 2030. The six pillars are governance, infrastructure, data, skills, public-sector transformation and citizenship. We are looking at having an AI hub for delivery, which would look at the actions. I commend our CSTA, as it is a significant amount of work. I know that she has also relied on a range of third-sector and private-sector partners for expertise and support. Of course, we are very grateful for the help and support that we have received on that from inside and outside the system.

Mr Delargy

Minister, you touched on the fact that this is about being inclusive. We know that, with a lot of the technology strategies, it is very difficult to reach people, so will you give an outline of exactly what is being done to reach people in the most hard-to-reach communities so that they can input into the strategy?

Mrs Little-Pengelly

As the Member will be aware, so much of what we do now is about collaborative design and co-production. We hear those buzzwords all the time, but they are important, because this is about including those who will use the strategy during the period and process of putting together the strategies and action plans. That is important, and there are so many different elements. If you speak to anybody about what they think that AI is, you will find that it depends on their personal experience of it. Many people will think that it is about jumping on an app on their phone and asking it to put something together, should that be a picture, a couple of paragraphs or some factual information. Of course, AI has so many other potential uses, not least in our health sector, supporting diagnostics; across our system, populating fields with common information and therefore saving a lot of people a lot of time; and in the drafting of factual background speeches. There are two key principles: the first is that it has to be ethical; and the second is that it is important that we still have a core human element to check facts and to check for bias and other issues. The end users are really important. We know that a lot of older people use government services. Many of the older people whom I know could buy and sell you in social media and online. We also know that there are challenges with some of those digital skills right across people's ages, so it has to have a role in the entire life cycle. We need to look at all its characteristics and challenges and make sure that it is fit for purpose. You are absolutely right.

Mr Durkan

We have heard a lot about the potential benefits and opportunities that will come with AI. Has there been any Executive analysis of the potential impact of AI on job displacement across not just the Civil Service but the North?

Mrs Little-Pengelly

It is a big concern for many people when they look at their own job and at future-proofing it. Realistically, in all likelihood, AI will be able to do things in five or 10 years' time, and maybe in one year's time, that we cannot even imagine right now. There is an apprehension about that at times. I always think that we need to be careful that we are not being Luddites about it. We do not want to delay by being apprehensive about something that we do not perhaps always understand but should, in fact, look at it while being conscious of the risks and challenges that it poses and acutely aware of the opportunities that it presents. I would always say that it is not about simply replacing people. It is very much about looking at how AI and technological development can help support better efficiency and better productivity. It is also about upskilling or reskilling people who currently work in jobs that could perhaps be picked up by AI and used in different ways. As we know, the needs of the Civil Service in the future will be very different from its needs of the past. The head of the Civil Service has undertaken a people strategy review. A lot of work is being done on looking at the numbers that are needed across our public sector to make it fit for purpose, what skills are required for the future and where AI can support those. The important point is that it is not primarily about people losing their jobs; it is about maybe doing things better and differently in the future and reskilling and upskilling for future jobs those who are in existing jobs.

Mr Brett

Deputy First Minister, AI has been at the fore in the cutting-edge development in our continually growing defence and space industry in Northern Ireland. How can we ensure that the AI strategy aligns with that growth and that we fully benefit from the UK defence growth deal, which will be worth millions of pounds to the people of Northern Ireland?

Mrs Little-Pengelly

It is undoubtedly the case that we have a really strong, high-quality defence and aerospace industry in Northern Ireland. Last weekend, we had Remembrance Sunday, which is a time for many to pause and reflect on the role that so many in Northern Ireland played in the world wars and in wars and conflicts since. Importantly and in line with that are the roles that our industries and businesses play in supporting the defence industry. Companies and the things that are made right here in Northern Ireland help to keep the world safe. At the moment, it is unfortunate that, because of global conflict, there are fears. I speak with a number of ambassadors, and we have the opportunity to meet ambassadors and delegations who come to Northern Ireland from across the globe. When you speak to people from Poland, Latvia and a number of countries, you can see that real sense of insecurity and the concerns about security. They are investing in defence, because, fundamentally, they see that as the best way to secure peace for their region, and our companies can absolutely play a role in that. The Member is right. The initiative by the UK Government to support the defence industry is UK-wide. We absolutely must make sure that Northern Ireland can benefit from that. We have a number of really strong areas in not only aerospace and defence but cybersecurity. That is a big strength that we have. Conflicts of the future will be as much about cyberattacks on our networks and on our electricity systems etc as they will be about that traditional street-by-street type of fighting that, unfortunately, formed part of past wars. That is something for us to be aware of in our defence strategy, and I look forward to working with the ADS group, with you, as Chair of the Committee, and with others to make sure that Northern Ireland can benefit fully on that front.