Flintshire Council eyes ban on ChatGPT use under new AI rules
Flintshire County Council could ban staff from using ChatGPT, Gemini and other publicly available AI tools for any council work, under a draft policy due to be considered by councillors this week.
The policy goes before the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday.
If members recommend adoption, Cabinet would be asked to approve the rules, with the rules taking effect from 1 April 2026.
The council currently has no rules governing how staff or councillors use artificial intelligence.
The draft policy would change that, applying to all employees, elected members acting in an official capacity, contractors and partners carrying out council business.
Under the proposals, only AI tools approved by the council’s IT Services team could be used for work purposes.
Each tool would need to pass a compliance assessment before use, and mandatory training would be required for all staff.
Suppliers of approved tools would need to meet cyber security, legal and procurement standards.
The ban covers AI tools, including ChatGPT and Gemini, which can generate text, write code and analyse documents, amid concerns about what happens to data once it leaves the council’s systems.
The policy also prohibits AI from making decisions affecting residents’ rights without human oversight, bans personal AI devices from being used to record or transcribe council meetings, and stops short of allowing AI to replace official translation services or provide legal advice.
Permitted uses would include drafting documents, summarising meetings, data analysis and research, provided the tools are council-approved.
The policy’s arrival follows a failed attempt by Flintshire People’s Voice to force the issue sooner.
The group’s Notice of Motion, put to Full Council in September 2025, called on the council to adopt a formal statement of principles to underpin any AI policy.
The motion lost when put to the vote.
Officers were already working on the policy at that point.
The report before Thursday’s committee states that the principles raised in the motion were reviewed during drafting, with amendments made to ‘provide additional clarity’, particularly around transparency.
Whether the revised policy satisfies what Flintshire People’s Voice originally sought may be a question members raise on Thursday.
The policy comes as Wales develops its own national approach to artificial intelligence.
AI Cymru, the Welsh Government’s AI plan, was published in November 2025 and sets out principles around ethics, inclusivity, innovation and public trust.
At UK level, the AI Bill is at its second reading in the House of Lords and has not yet become law.
The scrutiny committee will not make the final decision. Its recommendation goes forward to Cabinet.
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