How international collaboration is advancing machine learning in official statistics

New technologies and data sources have tremendous potential to improve statistical production. They offer a way to generate statistics in a more timely, accurate and cost-efficient manner. Yet, keeping up with the pace of change is challenging, especially for National Statistical Organisations (NSOs) that must innovate with care to maintain a "gold standard" in their outputs. International cooperation between NSOs and other official statistical bodies is one way to help accelerate change in a responsible way. In 2021, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Machine Learning Group (ML 2021) demonstrated the benefits of international cooperation for technological advance.