Our use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Our approach

We use artificial intelligence (AI) to support our workforce in delivering services more effectively and efficiently for our communities. AI is used as a tool to assist employees in their day-today work, helping them save time on routine tasks and focus more on professional judgement, decision making and public service.

AI will not replace human decision making. All decisions that affect individuals, communities, services or outcomes are made by council employees.

How we use AI

We currently use Microsoft Copilot Chat and licensed versions of Microsoft Copilot as part of our Microsoft 365 environment. These tools are used to support tasks such as:

• Drafting and improving written content
• Summarising information and documents
• Researching topics and identifying key themes
• Creating outlines, checklists or first drafts

AI outputs are always reviewed, checked and refined by a human before being used.

Data protection and privacy

Protecting personal data and maintaining public trust is essential.

• We do not input personal, sensitive or confidential information into AI tools unless explicitly approved through our established governance processes and all appropriate safeguards are in place.
• AI tools approved for use within Devon County Council that may handle personal or sensitive information will not share any data for the purpose of training public large language models
• Our use of AI operates within our existing information governance, data protection and security frameworks.

We continue to comply fully with data protection legislation and our internal policies.

Human oversight and accountability

AI is used to support staff, not to make decisions independently.

• Council employees remain accountable for the accuracy, quality and use of AI‑generated content.
• We do not use AI to make automated final decisions about individuals or services. Professional judgement, local knowledge and experience remain central to how we work.

Transparency and responsible use

We are committed to using AI responsibly, ethically and transparently.

This means we will:

• Use AI where it adds clear value
• Apply appropriate safeguards and oversight
• Be open about how and why AI is used
• Regularly review our approach as technology and guidance evolve

We will continue to learn, adapt and improve how we use AI to ensure it supports both our workforce and the communities we serve.

Environmental considerations

We recognise that the use of AI has an environmental impact, particularly in terms of energy consumption. We are committed to using AI responsibly and proportionately, focusing on activities where it adds clear value.

This includes being selective about higher‑intensity uses such as image or video generation and encouraging staff to use AI only where it supports their work effectively.

We are training employees on when and how to use AI appropriately, promoting effective prompting, reuse of outputs, and avoiding unnecessary or repeated queries. By embedding responsible use into everyday practice and regularly reviewing how AI is used across the organisation, we aim to minimise environmental impact while supporting our workforce and services.