Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Welfare System: Impact of AI

Monday 13 November 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial assessment includes projects using AI to improve performance and efficiency in the welfare system.
  • AI is employed to prevent fraud, aligning with a reduction of about 10% in fraud and error within the Department over the past year.
  • Human intervention remains essential for making judgments related to claims and appeals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Science & Technology Benefits & Welfare
Context

Assessment requested about the impact of artificial intelligence on welfare system functioning.

Question

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI on the functioning of the welfare system.

Answer from Mel Stride

We have a number of projects that use artificial intelligence within the Department to drive performance, efficiency and the service we provide to our customers. One important point to bear in mind is that we never replace a human when it comes to judgments relating to a claim or an appeal.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was not clearly defined, but the response did not go into detail about AI's impact on welfare functions beyond general statements.

How: General Statements

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Q2 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Science & Technology Benefits & Welfare
Context

Assessment requested about the merits of AI in fraud protection and safety measures.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend tell the House what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the use of AI in fraud protection? How will his Department ensure that appropriate safety measures are in place?

Answer from Mel Stride

Let me take the second of my hon. Friend's points first. As I have outlined, there is always human intervention when it is appropriate. None the less, he is quite right to raise the issue of fraud and error. We have seen a reduction in the Department over the past year of some 10% across the benefit system, and much of that has been driven by machine learning and data analytics.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The response did not provide specific assessments on the merits of AI in fraud protection or detailed safety measures.

How: General Statements, Statistical Reduction

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