Stormont used AI to draft bills

Dr Caoimhe Archibald’s Department for the Economy said on May 13 that it had used artificial intelligence “to enhance various stages of policy and legislative drafting” over the previous 12 months, according to a written answer published by the Northern Ireland Assembly. The disclosure came in response to a question from Patsy McGlone, a Social Democratic and Labour Party member for Mid Ulster. The department said the work was carried out with “consistent human oversight.” The answer places AI inside one of government’s most formal workflows: preparing policy and bill text for ministers and the Assembly. Stormont departments have previously described AI use for tasks such as drafting emails, summarising reports and coding assistance, but the Economy Department’s answer is one of the clearest published acknowledgments that the technology has also been used in legislative drafting. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) ### What exactly did the minister’s department admit? Assembly question AQW 45092/22-27 asked whether the Department for the Economy had used AI to assist with drafting legislation and policy in the last 12 months. The reply said: “Over the past twelve months, my department has utilised Artificial Intelligence to enhance various stages of policy and legislative drafting, underpinned by consistent human oversight.” The answer, as surfaced on the Assembly’s AIMS portal, did not identify the tool used, the bills or policy papers involved, or which officials reviewed the output. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) Mr McGlone tabled the question on April 29 and received the answer on May 13, Assembly records show. The same round of questions was also put to other ministers, producing a broader picture of AI experimentation across departments. ### Which minister and department are involved? Dr Caoimhe Archibald is the Minister for the Economy in Northern Ireland’s devolved government at Stormont. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) Assembly records list her as a Sinn Féin MLA for East Londonderry. Her department has also taken a public role in promoting AI as an economic priority, including the launch of an AI Advisory Panel in April 2026. The Department for the Economy’s website says it has created an AI and Digital Technologies team to consider how AI can enhance the local economy. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) In October 2025, Archibald said AI presented “huge potential” for her economic agenda, citing figures on Northern Ireland’s AI sector. ### Is Stormont using AI elsewhere, or is this isolated? The Department of Finance said in a separate written answer published on May 12 that it had used AI in “several areas to improve efficiency and support service delivery,” after being asked whether it had used AI to assist with drafting legislation and policy. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said its uses included drafting emails or meeting notes, summarising reports, coding assistance, automated documentary checks, remote sensing analysis and predictive modelling. (economy-ni.gov.uk) The News Letter reported in February that two Stormont departments were working with AI companies to develop systems to help officials answer Assembly questions, and NIPSA, the main public-sector union in Northern Ireland, urged caution over those plans. Those reports indicate the Economy Department’s disclosure is part of a wider adoption effort rather than a one-off test. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) ### What is still not on the public record? The May 13 answer did not say which legislation was drafted with AI assistance, what source material the system relied on, whether any external model provider processed official text, or what record was kept of edits made by civil servants. The published wording also did not define “various stages” or “consistent human oversight.” (newsletter.co.uk) The Assembly’s written-questions system provides the formal record of the exchange, but not the department’s internal workflow. That means the public record currently shows that AI was used and that humans reviewed it, while leaving unanswered who signed off on the output and under what controls. That is an inference from the scope of the published answer, not a stated departmental position. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) ### Which bill is most likely to draw attention now? The Department for the Economy is still drafting the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill, one of Archibald’s flagship measures. A March 2026 legal update by Lewis Silkin said officials had confirmed to the Economy Committee in February 2026 that the bill was still being drafted, after a consultation that drew 192 responses. (aims.niassembly.gov.uk) Committee papers and Assembly material show the bill remains an active legislative project for the department, which is likely to focus scrutiny on whether AI-assisted drafting touched any part of that work. No public document reviewed here says that it did. ### Where can readers check the record for themselves? (niassembly.gov.uk) The Northern Ireland Assembly says its AIMS portal publishes written questions and answers from MLAs to ministers. AQW 45092/22-27, tabled by Patsy McGlone and answered on May 13, is the record that contains the Economy Department’s acknowledgment of AI use in policy and legislative drafting. The next concrete step is likely to come through further Assembly questions, committee hearings or departmental disclosures tied to live bills, including the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill, which remains in development before introduction. (niassembly.gov.uk) (lewissilkin.com) (niassembly.gov.uk)