Digital

New Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidance available for Scottish public sector

August 31, 2026 by Stewart Hamilton No Comments | Category Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Scotland, Digital Scotland Service Manual

Blog post by Becca Fairless, Head of Digital Citizen Policy, Digital Directorate.

Scottish Government’s Public Sector AI Team has recently published a new suite of Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidance and resources on the Digital Scotland Service Manual (DSSM).

This guidance is not just for digital specialists. Decisions about AI use should involve policy teams, operational colleagues, service designers, programme managers and senior leaders. Everyone has a role to play in making sure AI is used responsibly.

But what is ‘responsible use’? How do we use AI ‘transparently’? What practices do we need to put in place to maintain public trust? As AI adoption accelerates, it’s important to move beyond the initial excitement, and take a pragmatic look at the questions we face about implementing it safely, responsibly and effectively in public services.

As Mr McKee, now Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform would say: “This is where the real work begins.”

We’re publishing to a single, trusted source of guidance.
One of the key reasons for publishing AI guidance on the DSSM is to create a central and accessible source of information for Scotland’s public sector.

As interest in AI has grown, so too has the amount of information available. This can make it difficult for organisations to know where to start. The DSSM is already recognised as playing an important role in supporting consistent approaches to designing and delivering digital services across organisational boundaries. Publishing AI guidance here allows us to build on a trusted platform that already aligns with Scotland’s wider digital public service landscape.

We’re creating guidance which is iterative.
The capabilities of AI systems are evolving rapidly, and guidance must evolve alongside them.

Our initial publication focuses on priority topics: defining responsible use; explaining what transparency looks like in practice, and setting out frameworks for human oversight and accountability. Over time, additional content will be added as needed, reflecting changes in technology, policy and user requirements.

Rather than creating a once-and-done set of guidelines, our aim is to develop a growing resource that responds to emerging technologies, policy developments and feedback from users, meeting the changing needs of Scotland’s public sector as AI adoption progresses.

And we’re working together to build it.
We know that effective and safe adoption of AI in the public sector will require collaboration. No single team or organisation has all the answers.

We encourage colleagues across the public sector to explore the new guidance and share feedback as we continue to develop this resource. We already know there is significant value in sharing experiences and challenges from different organisations and sectors. It’s only through collaboration and shared learning that we can turn AI’s potential into practical benefits for public services and the communities we serve.

The Scottish Government’s Public Sector AI team is part of the Digital Directorate. Our work contributes to Public Service Reform and supports the delivery of the Digital Strategy for Scotland.

If you would like to provide feedback on the guidance, please contact the team: AI@gov.scot

Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Scotland Service Manual, Guidance, Scottish Government's Public Sector AI Team

Comments