Request ID: FOI-0011-2324 Date published: 27 April 2023
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
Have you since 01/01/2020 conducted any reviews into the use of AI? If so can you publish the findings along with methodology used?
We answered
TfL Ref: 0011-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 1 April 2023 asking for information about the use of Artificial Intelligence.
Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. You asked: Have you since 01/01/2020 conducted any reviews into the use of AI? If so can you publish the findings along with methodology used?
I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. However, to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with requests if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. In this instance, we estimate that the time required to answer your request would exceed 18 hours which, at £25 per hour (the rate stipulated by the Regulations), exceeds the ‘appropriate limit’.
It would significantly exceed the cost limit for us to identify and collate every instance where an element of AI has potentially been used in one form or another as part of any of our systems or software products that we use every day across the period of your request. In essence, there are simply too many variables for us to be able to provide the information you have asked for in your request.
To help bring the cost of responding to your requests within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider refining your requests to concentrate on matters which are important to you. If you are able to specify a particular work stream you are interested in, then we may be able to provide further information on that.
Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, TfL does not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request. If you have specific questions relating to these topics we may be more easily able to respond to these than to a request for any information held.
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
