Hello everyone and welcome to my first AI Alliance blog as the new Chief Data Officer for the Scottish Government.

In the next few weeks, I will tell you a bit more about my journey as a data scientist and civil servant, and share with you my vision for the future of AI in Scotland. But today I am writing with the very exciting news that we have just launched the Scottish AI Register.

The Register, built in collaboration with Finnish start-up Saidot will become the home for public information and dialogue on how AI is used across the public sector in Scotland.

Saidot describe the Register as playing

“…a vital role in ensuring that AI is used transparently, ethically, and is accountable. It not only promotes collaboration and innovation in the development of AI, but also helps ensure that it is accessible to a wider range of people. With the growing use of algorithms and AI in public services, it is essential that open and democratic governments provide citizens with clear and understandable information about how these technologies affect their lives and the reasoning behind algorithmic decisions.”

I agree wholeheartedly, and hope that the Register will also set the bar and act as a catalyst for businesses who wish to make use of AI in our nation.

The Register is designed to help organisations starting out in their use of AI by providing them with structure and guidance. One of the first projects listed in the Register aims to use AI to provide disabled people with better access to public services, in collaboration with Connecting You Now. Their Product Manager, Jora Gill, said

"the Register's structure guided us to areas of our AI solution that went beyond the direct benefits of the solution. For example, the risk management section prompted us to reflect deeply on potential data bias and misbehaving AI models, and to ensure our AI solution complies with the advice and guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The register will benefit Connecting You Now as we are able to demonstrate trust in our AI solution."

We want to be open and encourage a constructive dialogue with the public on sensitive and challenging use cases of AI. Colleagues at the Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration (SCRA) have described how they intend to investigate the potential benefits of AI to help keep children safe.

“SCRA has been working with the Scottish Government’s AI unit for the last 12 months exploring the possible use of machine learning and forms of AI that could possibly add another factor into SCRA decision-making to improve outcomes for children and families… We identified several potential theoretical ways that AI could be used within the Children’s Hearings System, including: using an AI system to support the scheduling of Hearings; developing an AI assistant to answer web-based queries from Hearings participants; or using AI to support the decisions made within the Hearing System.”

I am also very pleased to see that we have been able to offer members of the public a route to reach out to us, to ask questions and provide feedback around each use case and AI more generally. This is a new technology, and it is important to me as a civil servant that we consider how it impacts society and that we give everyone an opportunity to contribute.

Scottish Government Minister, Ivan McKee said –

“Today we reach an important milestone on this journey with the launch of the Scottish AI Register. The Register will make transparent the development and use of AI in the public sector, and offer the public a simple and effective way to have a say in how AI is used to make decisions and deliver public services.

The Register will also make case studies and best practice guidance available to all who want to use AI for social and economic benefit. I hope the Register to become a beacon for how we want to do AI in Scotland and encourage others to follow the same ethical and open approach to its development, and earn the trust of our citizens.”

The Scottish Government is at an early stage of its AI journey, and the launch of the Register demonstrates that we are committed to getting AI right from the start – by working in the open and listening.

Please do reach out via the platform if you have any comments or suggestions regarding our use of AI, and I will hopefully see you at the Scottish AI Summit on 28-29 March.

- Tom Wilkinson, Chief Data Officer, Scottish Government