Department for Transport written question – answered at on 24 April 2026.
John Hayes
Conservative, South Holland and The Deepings
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.
Simon Lightwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport published the Transport AI Action Plan in June 2025 which sets out the Department’s approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The action plan represents the start of a step-change for AI in our transport system, recognising its power to increase resilience, productivity and turbo-charge innovation across the private and public sectors.
Over the last 12 months, the Department for Transport has continued to use AI for operational purposes and has taken part in a pilot of the Microsoft Copilot AI product with approximately 1,300 staff, to assess its potential benefits.
However, the Department does not centrally use AI in legislative or policy decision‑making. Where such tools have been used, this has been on an assistive basis only (for example, summarising information or improving readability), and not to generate policy or legislative content. Responsibility for the substance, accuracy and final drafting of all departmental policy and legislation remains with civil servants.
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