Aritficial intelligence (AI ) policy position paper
AI influences how businesses, industries and technologies operate now and in the future. However, evaluating the final product to ensure it is safe, effective, and fit for purpose remains a key challenge that prevents the progress of AI.
Although the onus is on developers to prove that the product is fit for purpose and has no unintended consequences, further guidelines and standards around how this should be reported would support a pro-innovation regulatory environment that provides safeguards against harm.
The IET recommends
- Strategic investment in AI: We need to assess where the UK is best suited to invest in AI technologies, such as: safety and risk management to support better regulation, our current AI technologies, and the next generation of AI technologies.
- AI safety: There needs to be a better, broader definition of safety and risks of an AI tool, as well as tools and techniques that are available to AI developers that can help them prove they are safe and fit for purpose to regulators.
- International position: There is potential for the UK to become a key international voice and should aim to position itself as the middle ground between the EU and USA.
- Regulation: It is critical that the appropriate legal and regulatory structures are in place to allow AI’s safe development and use but also do not stifle innovation. It needs greater transparency around the training and operation of AI systems. The government should establish firm rules on which data can and cannot be used to train AI systems.
- Harmonisation: We recommend a regulatory oversight body is set up to co-ordinate guidance on good practice and deliver sanctions where misuse has occurred.
- Cybersecurity and software vulnerabilities: These can occur accidentally due to a lack of awareness of what software code is doing. Cyber security needs to be built into the curriculum for relevant disciplines and reviewed as part of every board decision.
- Skills: Lack of skills in AI is not only a safety concern but is hindering productivity and the ability to deliver contracts. Therefore, proper training and skills means safer AI. Employers are telling us that there is a lack of skills in industry to take advantage of AI. We need to see a suite of agile training programmes, such as short courses.
- Benefits: We recommend that the government set up a National Institute for AI and Ageing / AI and Drug Discovery to support R&D and collaboration across sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how impactful collaboration can be beneficial through the drug and vaccine development and delivery.
- Digitalisation: Compared to other countries surveyed, fewer UK firms have introduced new technologies in the past 3 to reduce carbon emissions. Employers are missing an opportunity on digitalisation and net zero. The government should make funding available for these courses to increase their reach, allowing employees to upskill / reskill in AI more easily.