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Good practice Imported

Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard — the UK's Mandatory Public Register of Government AI Systems

United Kingdom · London · See the United Kingdom profile · See the London profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 6% 87/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

The UK's Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard grew from a 2022 pilot into a mandatory register covering all central government departments, publishing standardised disclosures for 152 algorithmic tools used in public decision-making by September 2026.

152 records
Published transparency records (September 2026)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Government Digital Service / Responsible Technology Adoption Unit
Period
2022–2026
Keywords
digital government, transparency, public administration, AI governance

Context

The Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) is a standardised format UK public-sector bodies use to publish how and why they use algorithmic tools, jointly maintained by the Government Digital Service, the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit and the Data Standards Authority.

Objectives

ATRS builds on the earlier Amsterdam/Helsinki and Dutch national algorithm-register models to give citizens and oversight bodies standardised, mandatory disclosure of government algorithmic tool use.

Activities

Piloted in 2022 with a small number of records, ATRS became mandatory for all central government departments and relevant arm's-length bodies under a scope and exemptions policy published in December 2024.

Results

As of September 2026 the public repository lists 152 records spanning ministerial and non-ministerial departments, agencies, devolved administrations and local authorities.

Conclusions

Compliance still depends on each department self-identifying which tools are in scope, and academic literature warns such registers can become a box-ticking exercise without strong oversight, so ATRS should be read as a transparency input rather than a guarantee of accountability outcomes.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Government Digital Service, Responsible Technology Adoption Unit, Data Standards Authority, individual departmental data/AI teams self-identifying in-scope tools

Conditions for success

  • a published scope and exemptions policy (Dec 2024) making disclosure mandatory rather than voluntary
  • joint stewardship across three central digital-government bodies

Common failure modes

  • compliance depends on each department self-identifying which tools are in scope, risking under-disclosure
  • can become a box-ticking exercise without strong oversight and quality-checking, per academic literature on algorithm registers

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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