Use of generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) by employees

Sarah Harris made this Freedom of Information request to Buckinghamshire Council as part of a batch sent to 171 authorities Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.

The request was successful.

Dear Buckinghamshire Council,

I am writing to make an open government request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like answers to the question below:

1.) Are your employees allowed to use generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, Jasper, etc.) in the workplace for work purposes?

2.) Do you have a usage policy in place on the use of generative AI in the workplace? (NOTE: If employees are not allowed to use generative AI as per Q1, please answer “yes”).

3.) If yes to the above question, can you please share your usage policy with us?

4.) Have you had incidents of the following since Jan 1st 2022? If possible please also share the number of incidents.
a.) Employees using generative AI outside the bounds of the workplace usage policy (if one exists)?
b.) Employees sharing confidential information (e.g. private personal data of employees or residents; confidential financial information) on generative AI platforms

5.) Has your organisation taken disciplinary action against employees for their use of generative AI – e.g. for using it outside the bounds of the workplace usage policy? If possible, please also share the number of incidents.

6.) Assuming your employees can use generative AI platforms at work – can they use publicly available open source tools like ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, and Jasper?

7.) Do you have a specific technology budget allocated to implementing generative AI tools in the workplace, and/or educating employees on their use? If so, and if possible, can you share the budget between Jan 1 2022 and Dec 31st 2024 (or nearest equivalent)?

If it’s easier, I am more than happy to receive this data in an Excel spreadsheet or whichever format best suits you.

If answering the above questions is not possible, could you please advise as to what relevant information would be attainable, or where the information might already exist in the public domain?

If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could advise me as to what relevant information is attainable and what steps I need to take to receive it?

I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.

Yours faithfully,
Sarah Harris

Information request
Our reference: 5047681

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Dear Sarah Harris
 
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 8 November
2023.
 
We will handle your request under the most appropriate legislation.
 
You can expect to receive a response by 6 December 2023.
 
The Council will be in touch if we need any further information. 
 
Yours sincerely
 
Information Management Team
[Buckinghamshire Council request email]
 
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
 

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1 Attachment

Information request
Our reference: 5047681

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Dear Sarah Harris
 
Thank you for your request received on 8 November 2023 concerning Use of
generative AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) by BCC employees.
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
Kind Regards
 
 
Information Governance Team

 

 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.
 

DISCLAIMER FOR BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNCIL

Any views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender and
are not necessarily those of Buckinghamshire Council unless explicitly
stated.

This email and any attachments may contain confidential or privileged
information and is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity
to whom it is addressed. Any confidential, sensitive or protectively
marked material must be handled accordingly.

If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, distribute,
copy, print or rely on any of the information contained in the email or
attachments, and all copies must be deleted immediately. If you do receive
this email in error please notify the sender immediately and note that
confidentiality or privilege is not waived or lost. 

Buckinghamshire Council may monitor the contents of emails sent and
received via its network for the purposes of ensuring compliance with
relevant legislation and the Council's policies and procedures. All such
monitoring will take place in accordance with relevant legislation
including privacy and data protection legislation. For details of how
Buckinghamshire Council uses personal information please see the Council's
website.

Buckinghamshire Council has scanned this email and attachments for viruses
but does not accept any responsibilities for viruses once this email has
been transmitted. You should therefore carry out your own anti-virus
checks before opening any documents.