UK's top data and AI regulator quits after 'inappropriate' humour

John Edwards, the UK's information commissioner, has resigned following a workplace investigation.

"I have accepted that there have been occasions where I exercised poor judgement and made attempts at humour that were inappropriate and caused offence," he said in a statement on Friday.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for regulating AI in the UK and also oversees data protection regulation and the freedom of information law.

Edwards' resignation was confirmed by the government, which said it had come after an independent probe "that took place regarding allegations made against him".

"The government expects the highest standards of conduct from all senior leaders in public life," said a spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

"Mr Edwards has acknowledged that his conduct fell below these standards."

They added that existing legal arrangements mean deputy commissioners must undertake the regulator's responsibilities and "ensure continuity of leadership".

The BBC has approached the ICO for comment.

Edwards, who had been at the watchdog since January 2022, had already stepped back from his post in February when the investigation started.

In his statement, shared on his LinkedIn page , he said while he disagreed with how the ICO's investigation had been carried out, "I accept that my position has become untenable".

He said he did not want to become "a distraction" from the ICO's work and had notified the government of his resignation as both commissioner and chair of the ICO "effective immediately".

The ICO said in a statement on 10 June its investigation had been completed and, finding "there is a case to answer", said the commissioner would be "temporarily unable to act in fulfilling his responsibilities for the remainder of the process".

Edwards' resignation comes amid increased scrutiny over the ICO's work, particularly in dealing with data protection complaints from the public.

Non-profit campaign groups the Good Law Project and the Open Rights Group (ORG) recently launched action to challenge the watchdog - accusing it of "brushing aside thousands of public data complaints".