Lord Wolfson of Tredegar (Con)

My Lords, I approach this amendment in a largely exploratory spirit, because it raises an interesting and increasingly relevant question about the role artificial intelligence might play in the operation of legislation of this kind. Much of what the Bill requires involves assessments of different natures. We have discussed a number of these at length in Committee, such as questions of capacity and voluntariness, and the presence or absence of coercion. These are judgments that are normally understood as being made by human decision-makers, who draw on their professional experience and have a direct interaction with the individual concerned. At the same time, this is 2026, and we are all aware that artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent across the Civil Service and even in government departments. Sometimes, in relation to the latter, I am reminded of the Imelda Marcos line, “Better nouveau riche than no riche at all”—and perhaps better artificial intelligence than no intelligence at all. But the concern is that the use of AI is often incremental and not the result of a conscious policy decision or choice. In response to my noble friend, I am not aware of an entire judgment put together by artificial intelligence, but I am aware that sometimes, judgments have been found to dip into artificial intelligence to assist.