Choosing a tool
How to choose an AI tool at Defra. Check the radar, follow the data rules and turn on privacy settings.
Check you need AI
Before you pick an AI tool, check that a simpler option would not do the job better. A search, a formula or a script is often faster, cheaper and more reliable.
Check the radar
The tools radar shows the AI tools teams across Defra are using, trialling and exploring. Use it to see what colleagues are working with and how established each one is.
You can use any AI tool, as long as you follow the rules on what data you put into it. The status tells you how established a tool is at Defra, not whether you are allowed to use it:
- Using. Used by teams across Defra today.
- Trialling. Being trialled with some teams before wider use.
- Exploring. Being looked at by the AI Capability and Enablement team (AICE). Not yet a recommendation either way.
A tool that is not on the radar is not banned. It just has not been looked at yet. Talk to AICE if you would like advice on one.
Check what data you can use
What matters is the data you put in, not the tool itself.
Before you use any tool, check Using data with AI for what you can put into each type of tool.
Turn on privacy settings
Turn on privacy settings before using any AI assistant on Defra work.
Privacy settings stop your code and data being stored on AI providers' servers, and stop your data being used to train AI models. In practice this means turning off model training and chat history.
Check the tool's own settings for how to do this, and ask AICE if you are not sure.
AI is hidden in tools you already use
AI is built into many everyday tools, and it is not always obvious. The same rules apply whenever a tool can see Defra data. Watch for:
- Microsoft Copilot, which is on by default in Windows and Office
- meeting note-takers in Teams or Zoom, and tools like Granola
- AI features in Slack, Miro and Mural
- browser extensions and desktop assistants that can read your screen or files
Ask AICE about a tool
Get advice on a tool that is not on the radar, or check before you use one in production.