“Mistrust in Artificial Intelligence risks UK staggering behind in global tech race” warns Confederation of British Industry
In a fiercely competitive international Artificial Intelligence (AI) race, UK businesses must lead by example and adopt an ethical approach towards AI adoption. That’s according to a new report published by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
AI is transforming the way in which we live and work, from analysing millions of legal documents through to detecting financial fraud. The CBI’s research shows that it will impact most sectors of the economy by 2021. A recent PwC study estimated that UK GDP could be up to 10% higher in 2030 due to AI – equivalent to an additional £232 billion.
However, businesses face key ethical issues, from how to empower employees in a fast-changing workplace to explaining complex algorithmic decisions to customers.
There are three priorities that the CBI calls on businesses to consider:
Embed: Update governance processes or develop new frameworks specifically for AI (for example Ethics Boards that have the authority to make impactful recommendations or important decisions)
Engage: Empower staff to engage with AI technology, challenge unfair bias in data and ensure teams designing the technology are diverse
Explain: Make sure consumers know exactly when decisions are taken by AI and how their data is being used to make decisions
Felicity Burch, the CBI’s director of digital and innovation, said: “At a time of slowing global growth, AI could add billions of pounds to the UK’s economy and transform our stuttering productivity performance. The Government has set the right tone by establishing the Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation, but it’s now up to business to put ethics into practice.”