Summary: Could AI Chatbots influence a Government’s Decisions?

The three governments we studied make use of various transparency registers such as the “Marketplace of AI opportunities” (Marktplatz der KI‑Möglichkeiten) in Germany, the Project Database of the Swiss CNAI (Competence Network for Artificial Intelligence), or the UK Algorithmic Transparency Records. These reveal specific tools developed or procured by governments. Governments and associated bodies also publish various overarching strategies and reports on uses of AI (see this report from the Swiss Federal Audit Office, an independent federal oversight and audit body, or the UK Government’s AI Incubator). The fact that we were able to get this information straightforwardly, much of which forms useful evidence for this piece, underlines the value of transparency in the use of AI systems by public administrations – as AlgorithmWatch has long advocated for. However, as discussed further below, the information in these documents only provides a limited picture of how such tools may influence decision-making within governments.

Actors outside government can also use techniques such as freedom of information (FOI) requests and parliamentary inquiries to try and make governments reveal additional information. These can be useful tools for revealing additional or specific information, but can also point out challenges as to how much governments divulge in practice. We discuss FOIs in more detail later. As an example of a parliamentary enquiry, members of the German Die Linke party have repeatedly used the “Kleine Anfrage” system to ask about implementation of AI in the German Federal Government. In its reply to the latest enquiry (from October 2025), the Federal Government largely referred to material it had already published, including the aforementioned Marktplatz der KI‑Möglichkeiten and the German Federal Government Guidelines on use of AI (discussed later in this piece).