Britain's AI minister, Kanishka Narayan, has ordered changes to government guidance for civil servants on the use of artificial intelligence. The minister stated that the previous guidance, published last week, did not align with ministerial ambitions to increase AI adoption across Whitehall.
The earlier advice had recommended that government workers use AI only when necessary, opt for smaller models, and keep prompts to a minimum to reduce energy consumption and costs. Narayan commented on X, stating, "Being environmentally conscious and keeping an eye on running costs is, of course, important – but so is encouraging AI adoption and scaling up its use across the public sector." He added that the advice has been updated and similar pages are being reviewed to reflect the government's full ambition for the UK.
The updated guidance now places a greater emphasis on responsible use rather than discouraging unnecessary use. It informs civil servants that they remain responsible for their work when using AI and must verify its output for inaccuracies, bias, or unfairness. Staff are also advised to protect sensitive information and use departmental systems for government work. The new advice states, "You are responsible for any content or decisions you make using AI," urging officials to use their own judgement and be prepared to explain decisions made with the technology.
This change comes as the government seeks to accelerate AI adoption across the public sector, an area directly under Minister Narayan's responsibilities, which include both the government's AI strategy and public sector adoption.