Client: Co-operative Councils’ Innovation Network (CCIN)
Date: August to December 2024
Challenges faced by the client:
Councils across the UK are experiencing significant financial pressure, prompting them to explore innovative solutions like Artificial Intelligence (AI). The phrase "Let’s see if AI can do that" has become common, reflecting the growing interest in AI as a tool to enhance public services. However, the concept of AI remains relatively new for many councillors and council staff.
Despite the remarkable advancements in AI technology, councils must navigate several ethical considerations. AI systems can exhibit biases, make errors, and their reliability is contingent on the quality of data provided. Additionally, there is a growing concern among staff about the potential for AI to replace human jobs.
The Co-operative Councils’ Innovation Network (CCIN) believes that AI should be used to support and augment human roles rather than replace them. The evaluation and adoption of AI must focus not only on its technical capabilities but also on its ethical implications and the potential impact on public services and staff.
Support offered:
Following a workshop by Mutual Ventures and Newcastle City Council at the CCIN conference in Sunderland, a policy lab was established to address the ethical and moral challenges posed by AI in public services. This initiative involved collaboration with eight member councils to develop a guidance framework based on cooperative values and principles. The project aimed to provide councils with the necessary knowledge to assess AI’s potential and suitability.
The support offered included:
Initial Research: Conducting research into existing frameworks and international examples to establish a foundation for the guidance framework.
Workshops: Three structured workshops to discuss AI orientation, develop guiding principles, and review the draft framework. These workshops facilitated discussions on the main use cases of AI, key enablers for success, risks and mitigations, and alignment with CCIN principles.
Webinars and conferences: The framework and case studies were shared through webinars and conferences to ensure that the learning was disseminated widely.
Impact:
The project culminated in the creation of a comprehensive guidance framework based on cooperative values and principles, along with case studies of good practice. The framework outlines the main use cases for AI, such as citizen engagement, productivity support, and data analytics. It also identifies key enabling factors, including good governance and data management, and sets out cooperative principles to guide the ethical adoption of AI.
The project demonstrated that AI has the potential to significantly enhance public services by improving citizen engagement, back-office support, and data analytics. However, its adoption must be guided by ethical principles to ensure that AI systems are reliable, explainable, and transparent. This work enables councils to start developing innovative approaches to policy and practice, supported by a robust framework of cooperative values and principles.
To find out more about this project and our support, you can view our webinar with CCIN Chair Cllr Jim Robbins and included contributions from Rob Gregory, Assistant Director Digital Transformation and Intelligence at Wigan Council, and Andrew Laird, Chief Executive of Mutual Ventures, who co-led the production of the guidance framework: Watch now: Co-operative Values Driven AI – a new guidance framework
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