Chris has been a member of the ad hoc House of Lords Select Committee on AI and on Monday (16th April 2018) the final report and recommendations were published: “AI in the UK: ready, willing and able?”
Following 9 months of expert witness evidence and extensive consideration the report’s conclusions and recommendations emphasize that the UK is in a strong position to be a world leader in AI but that putting ethics at the heart of development and use is the best way to do this.
AI, handled carefully, could be a great opportunity for the economy. The report makes 74 specific recommendations but one key recommendation is for a cross-sector ethical code for AI, underpinned by 5 principles:
- AI should be developed for the common good and benefit of humanity.
- AI should operate on principles of intelligibility and fairness.
- AI should not be used to diminish the data rights or privacy of individuals, families or communities.
- All citizens have the right to be educated to enable them to flourish mentally, emotionally and economically alongside AI.
- The autonomous power to hurt, destroy, or deceive human beings should never be vested in AI.