The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has unveiled a wide-ranging AI and biometrics strategy aimed at promoting responsible innovation while protecting individual data rights. Announced on 5 June 2025, the strategy focuses on technologies where public concern is high and regulatory clarity can have immediate impact.
Three core priorities underpin the strategy: ensuring transparency and explainability of AI systems, tackling bias and discrimination from flawed training data, and upholding robust rights and redress mechanisms. These measures are intended to guarantee that AI tools operate fairly and with safeguards that enable individuals to challenge decisions.
The ICO’s 2025/26 plan of action includes clear regulatory expectations and practical steps to help organisations deploy AI and automated decision-making (ADM) tools lawfully. A statutory code of practice on ADM and profiling is due by autumn 2025, offering guidance on bias, transparency and individual rights.
Central government and recruitment sectors will receive particular scrutiny, with the ICO pledging increased oversight of ADM use where decisions can affect access to services or employment. The watchdog will publish findings and hold organisations accountable where rights violations are identified.
Developers of AI foundation models are also on notice. The ICO expects them to safeguard personal data and minimise harm, with regulatory intervention planned where risks arise. In biometrics, the focus is on the police’s use of facial recognition technology (FRT), with upcoming guidance, audits and possible legal reform advice to ensure proportionate and rights-respecting use.
Emerging risks, such as agentic AI that infers personal traits or emotions, will also be monitored. The ICO plans to engage with industry, publish reports on accountability and maintain high standards for lawful deployment. The strategy reflects the ICO’s dual aim: to provide the regulatory certainty organisations need to innovate responsibly, and to build public trust as AI becomes more embedded in daily life.
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