A parliamentary report has found that inaccurate information generated by an AI tool influenced a police decision to seek a ban on Israeli football supporters.
A report by the Home Affairs Select Committee found that West Midlands Police relied on incorrect information produced through Microsoft Copilot while pursuing a ban on fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv. The ban related to a Europa League match scheduled in November at Aston Villa.
According to the committee, key claims about disorder involving Maccabi supporters in Amsterdam originated from an AI-generated response and were later repeated by senior officers. These claims were used in meetings of the Safety Advisory Group and during oral evidence, despite being inaccurate. The report said proper checks were not applied before the information was relied upon.
The police force was found to have overstated the risk posed by visiting supporters while understating threats directed at them locally. The decision was approved by the Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group, though the committee said the government could have intervened earlier to prevent the ban. The move was publicly criticised by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Former chief constable Craig Guildford stepped down after admitting he had unknowingly provided misleading evidence. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood later said she had no confidence in his leadership.
The report concluded that relations with the Jewish community were significantly damaged and called for cultural changes in police decision-making, including stronger scrutiny of evidence and clearer transparency standards.
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