Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way organisations operate, and AI in the public sector is no exception. With great potential comes great responsibility, which is why the UK Government has recently published two key documents: the Artificial Intelligence Playbook for the UK Government and the Code of Practice for the Cyber Security of AI. These resources provide practical guidance on implementing AI effectively while maintaining strong security and ethical standards.
So, what do these publications mean for public sector organisations, and how do they work together to ensure responsibility and secure AI adoption?
The AI Playbook: A Practical Guide to AI in Government
The AI Playbook, published on 10th February 2025, is designed to help civil servants and public sector professionals integrate AI into their operations safely, ethically, and effectively. It provides a structured approach to AI adoption, offering guidance through 10 key principles:
- You know what AI is and what its limitations are
- You use AI lawfully, ethically and responsibly
- You know how to use AI securely
- You have meaningful human control at the right stage
- You understand how to manage the AI life cycle
- You use the right tool for the job
- You are open and collaborative
- You work with commercial colleagues from the start
- You have the skills and expertise needed to implement and use AI
- You use these principles alongside your organisation’s policies and have the right assurance in place
The playbook also provides practical steps for designing, procuring, and deploying AI solutions while ensuring alignment with governance and assurance processes. In short, it’s a roadmap for getting AI right from the start.
Cyber Security & AI: The code of practice
With AI adoption growing, security risks are evolving too. AI models can be vulnerable to data poisoning, adversarial attacks, and manipulation. That’s where the Code of Practice for the Cyber Security of AI, released on 31st January 2025 comes in.
This voluntary framework sets out 13 key principles to help organisations secure AI systems throughout their lifecycle:
- Raise awareness of AI security threats and risks
- Design your AI system for security as well as functionality and performance
- Evaluate the threats and manage the risks to your AI system
- Enable human responsibility for AI systems
- Identify, track and protect your assets
- Secure your infrastructure
- Secure your supply chain
- Document your data, models and prompts
- Conduct appropriate testing and evaluation
- Communication and processes associated with end-users and affected entities
- Maintain regular security updates, patches and mitigations
- Monitor your system’s behaviour
- Ensure proper data and model disposal
These principles align with broader cyber security standards (such as ISO 27001) and data protection regulations (like UK GDPR), ensuring AI solutions are not only transformative but also resilient against emerging threats.
How these publications work together
While the AI Playbook guides how to implement AI effectively, the Cyber Security Code of Practice ensures it is deployed securely. In practice, this means that organisations need to:
- Follow the playbook’s principles to design, develop, and integrate AI solutions responsibly.
- Apply the cyber security code to protect AI systems from threats and vulnerabilities.
By using these resources together, public sector organisations can embrace AI and innovate confidently, while safeguarding sensitive data, maintaining trust, and ethics, and ensuring compliance with security best practices.
What this means for public sector AI adoption
For public sector organisations looking to integrate AI into their operations, these guidelines provide a clear and practical framework to follow. Key takeaways include:
- Design AI with security, ethics, and governance
In mind from day one – this proactive approach helps ensure compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements. - Human oversight remains essential
AI augments decision-making, but it shouldn’t replace it. - Cyber security shouldn’t be an afterthought
AI systems must be designed with robust protections against evolving threats. - Collaboration is key
Public sector bodies should share insights and best practices to foster responsible AI adoption across the board.
These principles also reflect broader compliance obligations. For instance, aligning with the Code of Practice can help organisations address aspects of UK GDPR, ensuring data protection and privacy considerations are built into AI systems.
Final thoughts
AI presents an exciting opportunity for the public sector to enhance services, improve efficiency, and drive innovation. However, its adoption must be strategic, ethical, and secure. By following the guidance set out in the AI Playbook and Cyber Security Code of Practice, organisations can ensure they are building AI solutions that are both effective and resilient.
At Node4, we help organisations navigate the complexities of AI, cyber security, and digital transformation. Whether you’re looking to deploy AI securely or enhance your cyber resilience, get in touch for a tailored consultation. We’re here to support you every step of the way.
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