The use of artificial intelligence (AI) by Cheshire West and Chester Council will come under the spotlight at a meeting this week, with members urged to back calls to ensure its ethical use.

A meeting of full council takes place on Thursday where members are poised to discuss a motion tabled by cabinet member and Labour councillor for Winsford Wharton Nathan Pardoe.

The motion calls on the council to embed the principles of the The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Artificial Intelligence Ethics Charter into the development of its own AI standards.

These include:

• Fairness, impartiality, non-discrimination, and fundamental rights
• Transparency and traceability
• System integrity and confidentiality
• Human agency, oversight, and accountability
• Societal and environmental responsibility
• Continuous improvement

It also urges the council to use AI 'responsibly, appropriately, and proportionately', deploying it only where there is a 'clear service need', where the use case, benefits and risks are understood, and always with the required human oversight.

It also calls on the council to ensure AI tools are managed and governed so they can only access the data they are authorised to use, with appropriate controls in place to protect information and support reliable, relevant responses.

Lastly it calls on the council to provide training to councillors and officers on using AI 'responsibly and appropriately', and support them in challenging 'improper' use of AI.

The notice of motion – entitled 'remember the human' – states: "Human interaction is vital to the success of this council, our platforms, and our services.

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"Human review, oversight, and revision are essential to realise the potential of AI and associated technologies. Irresponsible use of AI frustrates people, erodes trust, and undermines communication."

In various local councils in the UK, AI is increasingly used to perform tasks such as sort housing applications, flag social care issues and process benefits. AI is also being deployed by some social services departments.