Policy on the use of AI models within the UK LLC TRE#
Last modified: 20 Apr 2025
Researchers may use a range of statistical methods within the UK LLC TRE, including artificial intelligence (AI) approaches, where these are scientifically appropriate, ethically approved, and considered safe from a disclosure risk perspective. At present, pre‑trained or partially trained AI models, model weights, or related training materials must not be brought into the TRE under any circumstances. Moreover, it is current UK LLC policy not to allow any AI model to be brought out of the TRE under any circumstances.
As AI methods evolve and risks are better understood, UK LLC will work with its partner LPS, linked data owners and UK LLC public contributors to review and likely broaden what is permitted to be brought into the TRE. UK LLC recognises that the use of AI in research may raise wider participant and public concerns in relation to data security, disclosure, and potentially unfair or biased research outcomes. UK LLC take these seriously and are thus reflected in the current cautious policy set out above. It is of paramount importance to UK LLC to ensure AI use remains safe, trustworthy and acceptable to participants and wider stakeholders. Moreover, this policy is subject to ongoing review in line with best practices within the wider TRE community, such as The AI Risk Evaluation Community Group and changes to wider governance standards regarding the use of AI models in TREs. This page will be updated accordingly.
If you are preparing an application to conduct a research project using AI approaches within the UK LLC TRE, you must clearly explain how the AI model will be used and how you will ensure your analyses remain within the defined scope of your proposed project. The UK LLC Applications Team reviews every application carefully and will request further information or changes to your application if they judge the use of the AI model to fall outside the scope of your proposed project.
If you are already working in the TRE on an approved project and would like to begin using AI approaches, you must consider if this would change the scope of your project, i.e. would it change the research questions you’ve been approved to address? If so, you must submit a ‘Change research question’ amendment via UK LLC Apply. If the UK LLC Applications Team determines that the amended/new research question(s) requires a new lay summary, you will be invited to submit a new application. It should be stressed that addition of use of AI models to an already approved project would require ethic approval under the category of novel or contentious research methods, which would ultimately require a new application. We advise that if it is likely you will want to explore using an AI model in your research project, to include this in your initial project application.