GIRAI logo
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland flag

Global Index Score

67.27

Global: 7thRegional: 7thIncome Group: 7th

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's index score lands +13.0 against the Europe average (54.2) and +15.2 against High income peers (52.1). It scores ahead of 96% of the 135 economies assessed this edition. Published score 67.3 reflects a URAI adjustment from 72.3 (2 government-misuse evidence items on file). The profile rests on 73 documented evidence items spanning policy frameworks, government initiatives and civil society activity.

How United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Performs Across the Five Dimensions

GIRAI evaluates countries across five core dimensions that capture the social, ethical, and institutional impacts of artificial intelligence.

AI Policy

70.70

Avrg. Score

49.13

Global: 6thRegional: 6th

Enabling Conditions

81.56

Avrg. Score

76.57

Global: 18thRegional: 14th

Civil Society Engagement

54.44

Avrg. Score

30.01

Global: 5thRegional: 4th
1

Inclusion and Diversity

77.77

Index Score

56.44

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 3rdRegional: 3rd

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland runs +21.3 against the regional average (56.4) on Inclusion and Diversity. Strongest indicators: Children's Rights (88.0), Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (81.4). Weakest: Gender Equality (73.1). This dimension ranks 3rd globally — ahead of the country's overall position (7th). 16 evidence items on file, including "Online Safety Act 2023 (United Kingdom)" and 4 other documented items.

2

Ethics and Sustainability

74.77

Index Score

54.81

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 5thRegional: 5th

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland runs +20.0 against the regional average (54.8) on Ethics and Sustainability. Strongest indicators: Environmental Impact (82.2), Transparency and Explainability (77.5). Weakest: Fairness and Non-discrimination (76.8), Human Oversight and Determination (77.5). This dimension ranks 5th globally — ahead of the country's overall position (7th). 16 evidence items on file, including "AI Opportunities Action Plan (United Kingdom)" and 3 other documented items.

3

Labour and Skills

78.26

Index Score

57.98

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 1stRegional: 1st

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland runs +20.3 against the regional average (58.0) on Labour and Skills. Strongest indicators: AI Literacy (83.7), Reskilling/Upskilling Initiatives (82.2). Weakest: Labour Protections (77.5). This dimension ranks 1st globally — ahead of the country's overall position (7th). 14 evidence items on file, including "National AI Strategy (2021) (United Kingdom)" and 3 other documented items.

4

Trust and Safety

66.01

Index Score

63.43

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 24thRegional: 23rd

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland runs +2.6 against the regional average (63.4) on Trust and Safety. Strongest indicators: Impact Assessments (70.5), Access to Redress and Remedy (68.4). Weakest: AI-facilitated Misinformation and Violence (47.8), Safety and Security (67.6). This dimension ranks 24th globally — behind the country's overall position (7th). 15 evidence items on file, including "Online Safety Act 2023 (United Kingdom)" and 3 other documented items.

5

AI Use in Public Service

64.86

Index Score

44.61

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 11thRegional: 8th

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland runs +20.2 against the regional average (44.6) on AI Use in Public Service. Strongest indicators: Public Disclosure of Government Algorithmic Systems (61.3), Public Procurement (48.9). Weakest: Public Sector Skills Development (38.3). This dimension ranks 11th globally — behind the country's overall position (7th). 12 evidence items on file, including "Guidelines for AI procurement (United Kingdom)" and 2 other documented items.

Comparing Results Across Editions

Explore how country performance, scores, and governance indicators have changed between GIRAI editions.

14 indicators

Indicator2024 Edition2026 Edition
Gender EqualityNo FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Children's RightsNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Cultural and Linguistic DiversityNon-Binding FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Fairness and Non-discriminationNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Transparency and ExplainabilityNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Human Oversight and DeterminationNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Labour ProtectionsDraftBinding Framework
Reskilling/Upskilling InitiativesNo FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Safety and SecurityNon-Binding FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Access to Redress and RemedyNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Impact AssessmentsNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Public Sector Skills DevelopmentNo FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Public ProcurementNon-Binding FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Government Mechanisms for CSO Inclusion in AI Policy and GovernanceNon-Binding FrameworkNon-Binding Framework

Indicator definitions changed between editions; this table compares evidence presence and status, not directly comparable scores. A — indicates the item is not applicable or was not assessed for that edition.

Compare responsible AI performance

Explore how countries and regions perform across GIRAI's governance dimensions, scores, and structural indicators.

Compare
🇬🇧United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

67.27

Global 7thRegional 7th
Europe

54.23

Regional average

Dimension scores

Inclusion and Diversity
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
77.8
Europe
56.4
Ethics and Sustainability
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
74.8
Europe
54.8
Labour and Skills
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
78.3
Europe
58.0
Trust and Safety
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
66.0
Europe
63.4
AI Use in Public Service
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
64.9
Europe
44.6

Indicators

37 of 37
IndicatorUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandEurope
Inclusion and Diversity7
APGender Equality
73.151.1
APChildren's Rights
88.059.0
APCultural and Linguistic Diversity
81.441.8
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Inclusion and Diversity
30.821.4
ECEgalitarian Democracy
72.067.6
ECSocioeconomic Inclusion in Connectivity
92.276.1
ECGender Inclusion in Connectivity
97.795.3
Ethics and Sustainability6
APFairness and Non-discrimination
76.860.1
APTransparency and Explainability
77.564.5
APHuman Oversight and Determination
77.557.8
APEnvironmental Impact
82.228.5
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Ethics and Sustainability
53.930.8
ECEnvironmental Performance
64.964.7
Labour and Skills6
APLabour Protections
77.553.9
APReskilling/Upskilling Initiatives
82.256.0
APAI Literacy
83.752.3
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Labour and Skills
49.230.1
ECLabour Rights
64.362.9
ECPopulation Digital Readiness
100.087.4
Trust and Safety11
APSafety and Security
67.660.7
APAccess to Redress and Remedy
68.455.0
APImpact Assessments
70.560.4
APAI-facilitated Misinformation and Violence
47.858.4
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Trust and Safety
48.424.0
ECData Protection and Privacy
66.884.2
ECData Sharing and Access
37.587.1
ECConsumer Protection
96.691.6
ECCybersecurity
100.088.6
ECRule of Law
83.669.2
ECGlobal Peace
82.879.4
AI Use in Public Service7
APPublic Sector Skills Development
38.342.0
APPublic Disclosure of Government Algorithmic Systems
61.321.5
APPublic Procurement
48.925.3
CSOGovernment Mechanisms for CSO Inclusion in AI Policy and Governance
90.043.8
ECCivil Society Oversight
77.975.5
ECPublic Service Delivery
96.286.3
ECRight to Information
87.862.9
Score adjustment
URAIUnacceptable Risk AI Systems
×0.932 government-misuse items×0.98Regional average
APAI Policy
CSOCSO Engagement
ECEnabling Conditions
Misuse Of AI

Unacceptable Risk AI Systems

Evidence related to government use of AI systems associated with unacceptable-risk categories.

Contact GIRAI
  • Mass Biometric Surveillance

    Metropolitan Police Live Facial Recognition (LFR) Surveillance

    Per House of Commons Library report CDP 2024/0144: the Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee called for 'a clear foundation in law' and 'independent scrutiny' (p.6). Studies show 'Black men being more likely to be incorrectly matched' due to 'bias in computer learning' (p.5). The Equality and Human Rights Commission (Aug 2025) declared the Metropolitan Police's use incompatible with European Convention on Human Rights Articles 8 10 11. This is real-time remote biometric identification used by the police https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/met-polices-use-facial-recognition-tech-must-comply-human-rights-law-says-regulator

    View Trusted Source
  • Discriminatory Public Service Systems

    Department for Work and Pensions Universal Credit Advances Fraud Detection Algorithm

    The Department for Work and Pensions uses machine learning to risk-score almost one million Universal Credit Advances claims yearly. A February 2024 fairness analysis revealed 'statistically significant' bias against older claimants non-United Kingdom nationals disabled people and those with certain marital statuses . No analysis was conducted for race sex religion or other protected characteristics. Amnesty International (July 2025) found the Department for Work and Pensions' 'unchecked use of tech and artificial intelligence systems' causes 'exclusion of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups.'.This constitutes a biased algorithm in welfare with discriminatory impacts on vulnerable populations.

    View Trusted Source

What Drives This Performance?

A breakdown of the structural factors shaping this country's score.

AI Policy

National AI strategies, laws, and oversight mechanisms that establish formal governance structures.

Contribution to overall score

59%

Civil society engagement

Participation of academia, advocacy groups, and non-state actors in shaping governance and ensuring accountability.

Contribution to overall score

8%

Enabling conditions

Institutional capacity, rule of law, digital readiness, and labour protections that enable effective governance.

Contribution to overall score

34%

  • Strongest context signal: Population Digital Readiness (100.0)
  • Cybersecurity (100.0)
  • Gender Inclusion in Connectivity (97.7)

Evidence for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Loading evidence explorer…