Principles for Collaborating with Residents on the Use of Automated Decision-Making Systems

Principles for: Collaborating with Residents on the Use of Automated Decision-Making Systems

Automated Decision-Making (ADM) systems present exciting opportunities, but also come with risks. Working closely with residents will be vital for ensuring that automated decision-making systems are used in a positive way that is deserving of trust.

These principles set out an ambitious but realistic standard for collaborating with residents around the use of automated decision-making systems. Public sector organisations and those working on behalf of the public sector are encouraged to sign up to them as a way of endorsing this standard, and committing to work towards achieving it.

These principles were created in partnership with a community of people who care about how automated decision-making systems are used, from within and outside the public sector.

Organisations who would like to implement and practice these principles, and to work towards ensuring that these technologies are used safely and effectively for the benefit of local areas and communities, can sign up by emailing ConnectedGM@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk

What are Automated Decision-Making systems?

In much of our lives we interact with automated systems based on algorithms. Algorithms are simply set rules that computer systems use to turn data fed into them into outputs. The term automated decision-making (ADM) system is used here to refer to any use of an automated system based on algorithms that has a significant impact on how a decision is made.

This covers a wide range of systems, from those following straightforward rules to complicated systems that use artificial intelligence or machine learning. It also covers a range of ways that humans are (or are not) involved in the process of making decisions, or in designing, training, maintaining, and reviewing these systems.

Where did these principles come from?

These principles were created in early 2024 by a group of people across Greater Manchester who care about how automated decision-making systems are used, including people within and outside the public sector.

Open Data Manchester helped bring this group together, with support and funding from Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The original idea for this project came from conversations with Foxglove Legal.

Through interviews and online and in-person workshops we gathered together participants’ suggested principles, as well as hearing why they felt public engagement around the use of automated decision-making systems is important, and what they felt this engagement should look like. Their ideas were used to draft a set of principles which was shared back with participants for feedback and iterated into this final version based on what was heard.

Roughly half our workshop attendees came from the public sector, and half from outside the public sector. Those within the public sector tended to have responsibilities around information governance. Those outside the public sector included people with an interest in data and artificial intelligence; community engagement around this topic; and equality, diversity, and inclusion. These engagement activities were advertised using local networks, making use of Open Data Manchester’s knowledge of these, as well as using GMCA’s existing networks such as the Greater Manchester Equality Alliance. We are hugely grateful to everyone who came together to share their ideas and feedback, together creating this set of principles.

What is the purpose of these principles?

These principles aim to provide an ambitious, but realistic, standard of how the public sector, and those working on their behalf, should collaborate with communities around the use of automated decision-making systems. These organisations are encouraged to sign up to them as a way of endorsing this standard, and committing to work towards achieving it.

The focus has been the public sector in Greater Manchester, but it is intended that they can be picked up and used by others, adapting to their own contexts as needed.

There are a range of existing, and evolving, legal duties that relate to the use of automated decision-making systems, and the need for public engagement around their use. This set of principles is designed to build upon these. The principles do not seek to provide legal guidance or advice. Relevant legislation includes:

• The Data Protection Act 2018

• UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

• Equality Act 2010

• Human Rights Act 1998

As ‘principles’ they provide a clear high-level statement of what good practice should look like rather than detailed guidance on how different organisations should put these into practice. Existing procedures and mechanisms may well be a large part of how organisations meet these requirements.

We hope the principles will offer guidance to those working in the public sector, whilst also providing a clear standard that can be used to hold the public sector to account.

These principles will need to be reviewed in the future to ensure they stay relevant. It is hoped that a diverse community of people interested in this topic across Greater Manchester will come together again to do so.