UK public sector IT professionals should be held to same high standards as doctors and lawyers, says industry body
A survey has found “irrefutable public support” for those working in public sector IT to be professionally registered and expected to follow a code of conduct.
The survey of over 2,000 UK adults, which was conducted by YouGov on behalf of BCS, the chartered institute for IT, found that 85% of respondents agree that IT professionals working on systems that affect the public should be required to join a public register and follow an independent code of conduct.
In addition, 82% believe that IT professionals working in high-impact AI roles should be professionally registered and held to independent standards of competence and ethics.
Three-quarters (75%) of respondents said they would trust an IT professional more if such measures were brought in.
In its report, Trustworthy Technology: Meeting Society’s Expectations for AI, the BCS said a public register and code of conduct would create a “culture of responsibility across the technical side of the public sector; ensuring the individuals entrusted with technology decisions are prepared to anticipate risks, protect against harm, and act in the public interest”.
The recommendations
The industry body put forward three recommendations:
1. That professional registration, underpinned by an accompanying code of conduct, should be an essential condition for all public sector technology roles – including contractors within the supply chain – to ensure accountability and reinforce public trust.
2. The creation of a public register of IT professionals. It said this would provide assurance and accountability in high impact roles including automated decision making, the handling of special category or sensitive personal data such as medical records, or the design, procurement and management of critical infrastructure. IT professionals should be accountable to independent standards of ethics and competence and work towards regular and published continuing professional development goals, including chartered status.
3. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) should continue to lead in bringing UK companies and professional bodies together to set and develop ethical standards. It said this would be key to building public trust and accountability in AI and digital systems.
On the latter, it said: “DSIT is well placed to continue to take the lead in uniting the UK’s professional bodies, industry leaders, and researchers to support the setting and refinements of ethical standards that can withstand rapid innovation and public scrutiny”.
Read more: Turning the tanker: rebuilding public trust in government
Future-proofing public trust
The report notes that the existing Government Economic Service benchmarking of economic roles within the UK civil service could be a model for making professional registration an essential condition for civil service and wider public sector technology roles.
Implementation of a similar model for IT would “enable employers to confirm that an individual has been independently assessed against clear professional criteria, and is bound by an actionable code of conduct”.
“This process would aim to reduce the risk of technical errors, bias, or unethical practices compromising service delivery. In practice, it would mean the difference between a system that reinforces public trust and one that becomes the subject of public concern, legal challenge, or costly remediation,” the BCS said.
Read more: Public service reflections: Why the role of civil servants must evolve to ensure public trust
It added that a consistent approach to professional verification would strengthen public sector resilience and reassure the public that their data, rights, and wellbeing were protected by qualified and accountable professionals.
“That is the opportunity in front of us: to build a public sector where trust is not a by-product of good technology, but its foundation. If we seize it, we will not only shape the future of our own services; but set a global example of how to harness AI and digital innovation for the good of everyone in society,” it said.
Daniel Aldridge MP, chair of the Cyber Innovation All-Party Parliamentary Group, said in the report: “If government works in partnership with professional bodies, industry, and civil society, we can make the UK a world leader in trustworthy technology.”
Read more: Trusting the process, trusting the product: how governments can win over the public on AI
About Mia Hunt
Mia has been editor of globalgovernmentforum.com since 2019. She has 15 years’ experience as a journalist and editor and specialises in writing for civil and public servants worldwide, including covering sustainability policy and related issues. She has led the Global Government Women’s Network since it launched in 2023. Previously, she covered commercial property having been market reports and supplements editor at Property Week and deputy editor at Retail Destination. She graduated from Kingston University London with a first-class honours degree in journalism and was part of the team that produced The River newspaper, which won Publication of the Year at the Guardian Student Media Awards in 2010.
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