Terms of Reference

1.1 The Group is a non-statutory expert panel of independent members set up to provide advice to the Welsh Government in relation to the responsible adoption, implementation, and use of artificial intelligence in devolved public services across Wales.

1.2 The Strategic AI Advisory Group will: 

• Provide Strategic Leadership: offer authoritative, cross-sectoral direction on the ethical, inclusive and effective use of AI across the Welsh public sector.
• Support Ministerial Decision-Making: advise the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning on strategic AI opportunities, risks, and policy implications.
• Prioritise Efficiency and Accessibility in Service Delivery: direct efforts to implement AI technologies that demonstrably enhance operational efficiency while facilitating accessibility to public services.
• Champion AI Literacy and Capacity: support strategic leaders and public sector workforce development to enhance AI understanding and informed decision-making.
• Promote Responsible Innovation: advocate the safe and transparent adoption of AI technologies that enhance public service delivery.
• Help Strengthen Wales’s AI Ecosystem: foster collaboration between government, industry, academia and civil society to help support a thriving AI innovation landscape across Wales.
• Broaden Horizons: share research and development expertise and globally horizon scan for the benefit of Wales.

2.1 Members will sit on the Strategic AI Advisory Group in a personal and voluntary capacity, not representing their organisation or any affiliation. 

2.2 The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning will Chair the Group and oversee its work. Current Group membership is found at Annex A. 

2.3 Members will join by invitation of the Strategic AI Advisory Group Chair and will sit on the Group for an agreed period. Membership will be reviewed regularly by the Chair to ensure engagement, expertise and emerging areas of priority are covered by appropriate Group membership. 

2.4 Members are expected to attend the majority of Group meetings (minimum 3 to 4 a year) and cannot send deputies to attend in their place. Group members may also be asked to provide direction and views on specific issues as they arise.

2.5 All members of the Strategic AI Advisory Group are expected to apply the Seven Principles of Public Life set out at Annex B. Members must not misuse information gained through the Group’s activity for personal gain or for political purpose, nor seek to use the Group to promote private interests or those of connected persons, firms, businesses or other organisations. 

3.1 The Strategic AI Advisory Group will be supported by a small Secretariat formed of civil servants from the Welsh Government. The primary function of the Secretariat is to support the Group by arranging and minuting meetings, facilitating and coordinating papers and providing guidance to the Group. 

3.2 Working groups may be formed depending on the priorities of the Strategic AI Advisory Group. These will be led by members but may include participants from the wider AI community in Wales. Depending on the topic of the working group, members of relevant Welsh Government Departments may be engaged. 

3.3 Other Welsh Ministers or officials may be requested to attend at the invitation of the Group Chair whenever relevant items are discussed. 

3.4 Membership of the Strategic AI Advisory Group is unremunerated, although travel and subsistence expenses may be payable if required. 

4.1 The Strategic AI Advisory Group will operate with a presumption of openness and transparency. When relevant, the Strategic AI Advisory Group will make public relevant papers. The contents of the papers should not be publicly disclosed by Group members until they have been formally released by the Secretariat. 

4.2 Notes of Strategic AI Advisory Group meetings and any related action points will be circulated as soon as possible after meetings. A summary of Group meetings will be published on the Welsh Government website. These will reflect discussions on a non-attributable basis, unless conflicts of interest need to be recorded. 

4.3 Group members can raise any conflicts of interest or concerns through the Chair or Secretariat of the Group. Concerns can be raised confidentially, though we encourage transparency in all ways of working. 

5.1 The Chair of the Strategic AI Advisory Group will be the primary spokesperson for any contact with the media. 

5.2 If a member of the Strategic AI Advisory Group is approached for an interview or media engagement on behalf of the Group, it should be referred to the Welsh Government Secretariat for advice where possible. 

5.3 If a Group member is speaking or writing in a personal or professional capacity to the media and identified as a member of the Strategic AI Advisory Group, it should be made clear that the individual’s view is not necessarily that of the Strategic AI Advisory Group, and that the Strategic AI Advisory Group does not represent Welsh Government policy.

Rebecca Evans, MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning (Chair) 
Shavanah Taj, Wales TUC
Walter Pasquarelli, Speaker, Writer & Advisor
Ruth McGuinness, Head of Data & AI, Kainos
Professor Diane Gutiw, CGI
Rachel Purchase, Admiral, Director of Data & Analytics 
Santosh Takoor, Head of Cloud & AI Platforms for Public Sector, Microsoft UK, 
Marloes Pomp, Vice President, European AI Forum
Gina Neff, Responsible AI, Queen Mary University of London 
Jeegar Kakkad, Tony Blair Institute

Ex-officio attendees

Glyn Jones, Chief Digital Officer, Welsh Government
TBC, Head of the Office for AI, Welsh Government
Harriet Green / Myra Hunt, CEO, Centre for Digital Public Services 
Lindsey Phillips, Chief Digital Officer for Local Government in Wales 
Matt Lewis, Chair, Cross Public Sector AI Leadership Group 
Jas Pal Baydal, Chief Scientific Adviser, Welsh Government 
Helen Arthur, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development, Health Department, Welsh Government

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also apply to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

The principles are: 

Selflessness 

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. 

Integrity 

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

Objectivity 

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias. 

Accountability 

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this. 

Openness 

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for doing so. 

Honesty 

Holders of public office should be truthful. 

Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.