Musk at the AI Summit/Did Sunak succeed?

Ian Liddicoat, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Data Science at Adludio

As a lifelong follower of computer science, I did appreciate Bletchley Park as the fitting staging post for the Sunak Government’s global AI ambitions. But ignoring the fact that the AI Summit was a distraction from its political troubles and viewing it purely from the technologist's perspective, it had some flaws. 

While the topic of AI as a whole was highlighted and given the level of importance it deserves, and there was a good cast of attendees drawn from the global tech community, too little detail and not enough focus was paid specifically to the risks of AI and how best to mitigate these. 

For one, the notion of asking AI practitioners to have models pre-vetted is overly simplistic and risks stifling innovation. However, it is exactly this high level of innovation that AI brings to many industries that we should foster. On the other hand, it remains to be seen if AI tech companies after the Summit will largely pay lip service as they feel the need to rather than radically change their operational delivery.

Admittedly, the co-leaders had a challenge in achieving a broad and balanced debate as well as a concrete outcome. Nevertheless, with other planned global summits threatening to steal the thunder now, the UK government will need to commit more to encouraging a level of scrutiny and develop adequate legislation that provides safety for businesses and the wider electorate, as AI continues to influence every industry. Moreover, Sunak’s and future administrations will need to do this without constraining innovation to such an extent that the UK becomes a trivial player in the field.