It’s hard to talk about the future of hiring without bumping into artificial intelligence. It’s already used to scan CVs, schedule interviews, and even judge candidate tone in video applications. But what about DBS checks? Could AI have a role there too? It might, but probably not in the way you think.
What is a DBS check?
A DBS check (short for Disclosure and Barring Service) looks into someone’s criminal history. It’s often used when a job involves working with vulnerable people or sensitive information. There are different levels: Basic, Standard, and Enhanced, each pulling in different layers of data.
Right now, the process is mostly structured. You apply, your info is checked against government databases, and you wait. Some parts are digital, sure, but there’s still a strong human element, especially in anything beyond the basic level.
Where AI might come in
Let’s be clear: AI isn’t going to decide if someone’s allowed to work with children. That’s a legal judgement, not one for an algorithm. But that doesn’t mean it’s useless. There are parts of the DBS process where AI could be helpful.
Take document checks. Verifying ID is often slow – passports, utility bills, National Insurance letters. AI could speed that up by spotting errors, detecting fakes, or matching photos with greater accuracy than the human eye. That sort of assistance is already being used in banking and online security, so it’s not a stretch.
Fraud detection
Then there’s fraud detection. If someone’s trying to manipulate the process – such as applying under different names or submitting altered documents – AI could flag that. It’s good at spotting patterns that most humans would miss.
So in that sense, AI would be more of a co-pilot than a gatekeeper. It helps keep the system clean for bodies like Personnel Checks, but it won’t ever make the final call.
The red lines
The DBS system works under tight legal rules. That’s not going to change anytime soon.
Any tool – AI or otherwise – has to follow UK data laws, including GDPR and safeguarding legislation. That means no profiling, no predictive risk scores, and no black-box decisions. If AI is involved, it has to be auditable and accountable.
And most importantly, it has to respect the rights of the person being checked. This is especially true when dealing with sensitive roles – social work, healthcare, and education. You can’t hand that over to an algorithm trained on patterns that might not even apply to UK law.
So what’s likely?
In the short term? AI will likely be used to create more support tools, faster document verification, smarter processing, all resulting in a bit less admin. But the decision on whether someone passes a higher level DBS check? That’s likely to stay with human reviewers. At least for now.
AI might help clean up the paperwork, maybe even speed things along. But in an area where legal rights, safety, and trust are involved, it’s unlikely to take over completely. And maybe that’s a good thing.
