What specific purposes are the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's 611 Microsoft Copilot licences being used for, and is Copilot used in any way to inform, support, or prioritise immigration and visa decisions or employment-standards investigations?

Answer

I am advised that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has deployed both Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot to staff across the organisation to aid with reducing manual tasks and lifting personal productivity and efficiency. With regard to immigration and visa decisions, I am advised that Copilot licenses are used for a range of purposes, including conducting open-source research, rewriting material into more user-friendly formats, developing diagrams, and assisting with code development and mathematical tasks. Copilot is not used to inform or prioritise decisions. Rather, it provides support functions, such as improving grammar, tone, and style in correspondence. A trial is also underway to assess the use of a Copilot agent as a search tool for immigration instructions. With regard employment standards investigations, I am advised that Copilot is used by Labour Inspectorate staff in the ordinary course of their work to support general tasks such as drafting, summarising information, and administrative efficiency. Copilot is not used to determine or prioritise employment standards investigations. Decisions relating to investigations, including prioritisation and enforcement actions, are made by inspectors based on established legislative frameworks, operational policies, and professional judgement.