Government officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) and complex algorithms to help decide everything from who gets benefits to who should have their marriage licence approved, according to a Guardian investigation. The findings shed light on the haphazard and often uncontrolled way that cutting-edge technology is being used across Whitehall. Civil servants in at least eight Whitehall departments and a handful of police forces are using AI in a range of areas, but especially when it comes to helping them make decisions over welfare, immigration and criminal justice, the investigation shows. An algorithm used by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which an MP believes mistakenly led to dozens of people having their benefits removed. A facial recognition tool used by the Metropolitan police has been found to make more mistakes recognising black faces than white ones under certain settings.