Imperial researchers help inform the development of the National AI White Paper

The Forum organised a roundtable with Imperial researchers and the government Office for AI to discuss the government’s upcoming AI White Paper

Chaired by Professor Aldo Faisal, Professor of AI and Neuroscience, Faculty of Engineering, the roundtable convened Imperial researchers, staff, industry partners and representatives from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports’ and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Office for AI.

The roundtable was organised following a call for evidence by the Office for AI to help develop their upcoming AI White paper, which aims to make the UK a world-leader in AI technology and development through the creation of new regulatory standards and ethics for the sector.

The discussion examined the current challenges and opportunities from existing regulations and how they could be improved to support the development of AI products and services. Among the challenges identified was current regulations prohibiting the autonomous learning of an AI tool, beyond its initial certification as a product.

Speaking of the opportunities of the technology and the potential risks, participants discussed the importance of establishing an overarching holistic ethical framework around the use of AI, that will guide the innovation of AI tools over the next few decades while protecting the public.

The discussion then moved to the importance of training, highlighting there was a need for greater consistency of training given to AI professionals and researchers to ensure common sets of skills for those working on AI across different sectors of the economy.

One central theme that emerged from the discussions was the global nature of AI with product development of the technology happening across the globe. The participants discussed the benefits of harmonising as much as possible the global governance of AI to enable its use across different countries.

This roundtable was the start of the Office for AI’s public engagement on the AI White Paper and they will continue to engage with researchers, organisations and industry to help shape the development of the AI White Paper before its release.