AI under the radar: governance lessons from the West Midlands Police failure

Artificial intelligence has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, to the extent we don’t always know we’re even using it. 

Take a simple Google search, which has fundamentally changed with AI-generated overviews, while Microsoft has installed CoPilot plug-ins within its Edge internet browser to summarise page results. 

These are examples of “under-the-radar” AI, which is increasingly being used by staff without organisational oversight or training. 

These are often a helpful way to find and summarise information, but failure to understand this transformation in how we receive information can lead to serious errors, as evidenced by a well-publicised AI mishap involving West Midlands Police. Public authorities must develop thorough AI frameworks, risk assessments and training to avoid the same outcomes. 

AI-generated false intelligence

This case revolved around the force’s controversial decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a football match at Aston Villa’s stadium in Birmingham, in November 2025.

An interim report from Sir Andy Cooke, published on 14 January 2026, found the Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, compiled inaccurate intelligence using AI. It said CoPilot “hallucinated” by referencing a fictitious football match between West Ham United and Maccabi Tel Aviv from two years earlier.

While it was one detail in the larger dossier, and although other concerns were identified, the blunder became a headline-grabbing failure. It has contributed to undermining the decision and damaged confidence in West Midlands Police.

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she had lost confidence in Guildford, who two days later announced his retirement. 

Lessons on everyday AI use

This mishap shouldn’t lead to a pause on the integration of new technologies within public bodies, but it does expose numerous issues surrounding AI governance.

While many organisations are actively building AI into their processes and systems, not all recognise the way in which AI has already crept into their workplaces. 

Many of their employees will already use AI in everyday life and import it into working life without oversight. Updates or plugins from providers introduce new AI functionality overnight. Without an AI framework, these changes happen without preparation to address concerns such as AI bias or “hallucinations”.

This is what we mean by AI under the radar, and why it’s important for public bodies and businesses to implement AI governance, training and oversight now – whether they have an intentionally deployed AI or not.

Strong governance concerns how an organisation processes information to make decisions in a robust and transparent manner.