FOI 24/25-1345 - DISCLOSURE LOG DOCUMENT 2
OFFICIAL: SENSITIVE
Strategic Leadership Team Meeting of 23 April 2024
The contents of this document are OFFICIAL: SENSITIVE
Agenda Item: #
Agenda Item:
Paper Type: For Noting
SLT Sponsor: Sam Porter, Chief Operating Officer
1. Purpose
1.1. That the Strategic Leadership Team note the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) Copilot for Microsoft 365 trial.
2. Key Insights
2.1. The NDIA is participating in a Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) led pilot of Copilot for Microsoft 365 (a generative Artificial Intelligence (Al) product), with up to 300 licences available for Agency employees.
2.2. Copilot for Microsoft 365 (Copilot) is an Al/virtual assistant able to automate tasks, drafts content, take minutes of meetings and summarise documents. It uses a staff member’s access to existing Microsoft products as its source data. It does not access PACE or other non-Microsoft products.
2.3. As part of this trial, Chief Information Officer (CIO) staff are currently testing prompts (requests) and use cases for Copilot to determine the best value and application of this technology for the Agency. This will be progressed further with the establishment of an Agency working group.
2.4. All users are informed that they are responsible for reviewing any output from CoPilot, noting that this software is not a decision maker.
3. Generative Al
3.1. Generative Al a sub-field of Al capable of generating text, images or other data using generative models, often in response to prompts. Generative Al models learn the patterns and structure of their input training data and then generate new data that has similar characteristics.
3.2. By automating repetitive tasks, generative Al can free up time for more strategic and creative work, helping organisations to ramp up their productivity and do more with less.
3.3. Trust and transparency are crucial for generative Al to work effectively. As an inevitable change approaches, it is important that the Agency takes the initiative to lead by adopting a strategic approach to Al implementation.
3.4. The NDIA does not currently have any formal policies regarding the use of Al, but has adopted the interim guidance on government use of public generative Al tools issued by the DTA in July 2023 .
3.5. The OCIO is establishing an internal working group to consider the implications of Al in the Agency. This group will have representatives from across the Agency and will work to ensure that our approach to Al is well-informed, strategic, and aligns with whole-of-
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government policy (including the work of the Al in Government Taskforce, currently being led by the DTA).
3.6. The working group will bring a range of expertise, perspectives and will play a crucial role in shaping the future of Al within the Agency and ensuring that we are well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities it presents.
4. Copilot for Microsoft 365
4.1. The NDIA is trialling Copilot for Microsoft 365 from January to June 2024 to safely leverage Al to streamline workflows and drive efficiency.
4.2. The Prime Minister announced the trial on 16 November 2023, and other federal agencies, including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), are also participating.
4.3. The use of Copilot varies across the APS, reflecting the different operating environments, data and risks.
4.4. The trial will consist of 300 NDIA staff, including SES and their support staff, members of the Employee Disability Network (EDN), and OCIO technical support teams.
4.5. The trial is scheduled to end in June 2024 and feedback will be used to shape the future of the Agency’s work environment.
4.6. Copilot is a transformative tool designed to enhance productivity and collaboration, but it is not a mechanism for making Agency decisions. Copilot can assist with a variety of tasks, including:
- summarising important documents and catching up on communications
- generating drafts of emails and documents
- searching documents for answers to key questions, and
- creating or writing different varieties of content.
4.7. Copilot is an Al assistant designed to be reactive to prompts, boost productivity by drafting content and help find answers. It is not intended to replace human intelligence or work independently, and cannot produce content or make decisions independently of users.
4.8. Personal privacy and ethical use of NDIA data is at the core of the trial, and all trial members are asked not to share personal details or use Copilot to analyse participant plans or any NDIA information that could be in breach of the Privacy Act.
4.9. Feedback from the NDIA will be supplied to the DTA.
4.10. A factsheet and training resources are available to staff to support the trial including:
- CoPilot for Microsoft 365 trial NDIA Factsheet (Attachment A),
- CoPilot for M365 Trial Training Modul (Attachment B),
- CoPilot Communications and Engagement Plan (Attachment D).
4.11. The Agency is currently drafting a Use of Al policy for SLT approval, leveraging the resources and approach published by the DTA. The policy will establish a framework for
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ethical, legal, and effective use of Al, Generative Al, and Machine Learning (ML) within the Agency, focusing on applications within the NDIA. It aims to harness Al’s potential in enhancing services while ensuring responsible and ethical usage.
4.12. In developing the Use of Al policy, the Agency will consult with industry experts on best practices and emerging trends in Al and ML. The Agency has received advice from Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, on how to align the policy with the principles of trustworthy Al and ensure compliance with relevant standards and regulations (see Attachment C).
5. Risk and Sensitivities
5.1. The Agency has previously banned the use of ChatGPT and other public generative Al applications due to concerns about the privacy, security and integrity implications associated with their use. These risks either do not arise, or are mitigated, through the Copilot trial, because:
- All CoPilot data is stored in Australia, in an appropriately secured data centre.
- All prompts stay within the NDIA’s CoPilot environment and are not accessed or used by Microsoft.
- CoPilot’s access to information is based on the user’s preexisting permissions in Microsoft products.
- NDIA staff are granted access to SharePoint and other products based on their role’s requirements (job type, Branch etc). These permissions restrict CoPilot to only what the user is already authorised to access.
- The CoPilot project team is working with Legal to develop a CoPilot Privacy Impact Assessment to further assess any unknown privacy impacts.
5.2. The Agency will also put the following guardrails in place to ensure that trial participants effectively and responsibly use Copilot. These will include:
- The NDIA Al Ethical Guidance and Interim Policy are clear about the responsibilities of users when using these tools. This includes clear advice about individual responsibility on sending/using all Al generated content. This information is provided in different formats including LEAP training, which is mandatory for CoPilot users.
- The CIO is responsible for authorising all CoPilot user licences. The project team (initially 25 people) were authorised on the basis that they will provide scoping, identification of capabilities and assessment of CoPilot.
- The full use of licences (300) will include all SES and their support staff. The new users will be given the existing training and support from the Project Team.
6. Consultation
6.1. The Office of the Chief Information Officer has engaged with the Agency’s Legal Services Division, Cyber Security and broader ICT advice on the Copilot trial.
6.2. The Agency will continue to engage with the DTA and broader APS as the trial progresses.
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7. Financial implications
7.1. The trial of CoPilot incurs minimal cost for the Agency, with the project and ICT costs being absorbed by OCIO.
7.2. A decision to permanently use Copilot is likely to lead to increased Agency costs in; licences, user support, integration into our environment.
8. Attachments
Attachment A: Copilot for Microsoft 365 trial NDIA Factsheet
Attachment B: Copilot for Microsoft 365 trial - Mandatory Training Module
Attachment C: Generative Al: 4 Decisions to Make When Creating a Policy (Gartner)
Attachment D: CoPilot Communications and Engagement Plan
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