25726 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Social Development and Employment

25726 (2026). Francisco Hernandez to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: How much, if any, is the total budget in the Minister's departments, agencies, crown entities and any other bodies that the Minister is responsible for, if any, for the 2026/27 financial year on artificial intelligence- including costs on training staff, deploying systems, maintaining subscriptions and any other associated costs?

Hon Louise Upston: I am advised that the Ministry of Social Development (the Ministry) does not hold a centrally tracked or discreet budget for artificial intelligence (AI) for the 2026/27 financial year. Expenditure relating to AI (including staff training, system deployment, subscriptions, and associated costs) is embedded within a range of existing programmes and operational budgets across the Ministry, rather than being separately identified as a specific budget line.