The Welsh Government has published a report on awareness of AI in public sector workplaces in Wales.  The report is said to provide “snapshot of the current understanding of AI in the Welsh public services and provides a point of reference for future surveys as the workplace use of AI develops”.  Research was undertaken as part of a larger project by the Welsh Workforce Partnership Council (WPC), which is comprised of representatives of the Welsh Government, employers and trade unions in partnership.

The report is split into two sections – AI outside the workplace and AI in the workplace – which covers public sector workers’ understanding of what AI is, its current and future use, the benefits and risks, and barriers to and consequences of using AI. 

Use cases and challenges

In terms of AI in the workplace, the use of AI differs by sector and differs further within sectors.  In Health and Social Care, technology use ranges from employees sharing outdated computing devices to AI being used in surgery and student training scenarios.  ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot is often used to help use resources more effectively, such as assisting with notetaking and report writing, instead of replacing employees and the common view was that AI adoption will increase in the workplace.

“… respondents expressed a concern about individuals “slacking off” by using technology or becoming reliant upon it: people may become ‘more lazy in relying on technology for everything’ and ‘some people use it to take advantage and may use it instead of work.”

Accuracy and trustworthiness of AI is noted as challenge and that there is a need for greater understanding, education and training.  Existing public sector IT infrastructure, software and functionality are also referenced as potentially limiting and creating barriers to future AI integration.

Consequences of AI use in public sector workplaces are also noted, in relation to job loss and change, changes in performance of job roles and legal and ethical issues. Administrative and logistical roles are highlighted as those that will be more likely to be impacted by AI but roles reliant on human interaction and judgment less so.  There is evident concern that AI output may be unequal, biased or discriminatory and also that AI will become more intrusive over time. The importance of checking outputs in more detail than would be expected when proofing human-created work is emphasised.

Recommendations

The report recommends that:

• Further evidence be gathered on the current and future use of AI in the workplace, including a wider survey, which would be representative of the broader Welsh population;
• Academic expertise be drawn upon and employer / worker representatives be consulted;
• Wider capability is built in the public sector workforce in Wales regarding the understanding, uses, opportunities and risks of AI in the workplace.

The full Welsh Government report can be read here.

If you would like to discuss how current or future regulations impact what you do with AI, please contact Tom Whittaker, Brian Wong, Lucy Pegler, Martin Cook or any other member in our Technology team.

For the latest on AI law and regulation, see our blog and sign-up to our AI newsletter.

This article was written by Ryan Jenkins.