AI Guidance

At Police Scotland, we are committed to providing every candidate with an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills, experience and knowledge effectively.

While AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools are offering innovative ways to complete applications and prepare for interviews – and we recognise the benefits they can bring – our primary focus remains on getting to know you as an individual.

We value a human approach to recruitment and at every stage of the process applications are reviewed and decisions are made by people to ensure we select the right candidates for the police service.

The choice to use AI to support your application is entirely yours. We will not assess or judge you based on whether AI was involved. Importantly, we do not use AI to make selection decisions – the responsibility lies solely with our recruitment teams.

However, given the volume of applications we review each year, if an application appears to be entirely AI-generated, it is likely to be identified.

In such cases, we may reach out to provide feedback and guidance to ensure your application reflects your personal qualities and values that align with ours.

Candidate charter

"We recognise that candidates may use AI tools to support their application and to conduct important research about the recruitment process and the organisation.

Ultimately, we want to learn about you, your individual experiences, perspectives and suitability for the role. These are personal to you and not something AI can truly generate or replace."

Guidance for applicants

If you are planning to use AI tools to elevate your application, we encourage you to use them effectively. Please see our guidance below.

Do:

• Ensure AI-created materials reflect your own skills, experience and knowledge.
• Use it to articulate your own ideas and thoughts.
• Review and edit AI generated content to ensure accuracy and that it aligns to your personal application.
• Utilise AI, if required, to help with research, gathering information and to prepare for the application process.
• Use AI as a preparation tool for interviews to format your examples.
• Ensure AI created material reflects you personally.
• Engage with the recruitment team if uncertain on how AI can support you.

Don’t:

• Rely on AI to create your application.
• Copy and paste direct from AI tools.
• Use AI to generate answers and experiences which are not your own.
• Use AI tools during any virtual interviews, answers should be a genuine reflection of you and your own experiences.