The new art of the possible. But safety must come first

Senior executives at Aiimi believe that AI can be “the new art of the possible” if used safely but must be carefully regulated and managed in order to bring the maximum benefit to businesses and individuals.

“Our stance is that it is a force for good,” chief executive Steve Salvin told guests at the company’s AI Summit Decrypted event staged hours after the summit at Bletchley Park closed. “It is unstoppable and we must embrace it.”

He said that AI will develop to enable faster and more accurate decision-making and will allow users to ask questions and get the answers they require.

The AI Safety Summit focused on regulation, control and compliance. “We are all really worried about how this really powerful capability in the hands of a few organisations will be leveraged,” Mr Salvin said.

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Aiimi director Gillian Baker reflected on the “massive” investment in AI technology. “It is here, it is here to stay and it is now about how we manage it,” she said.

Senior data scientist Reece Cook stressed the risks involved with AI. He spoke of interference in elections and other “unpredictable advances”.

“There will be areas that AI will unlock that we have not seen before,” he added. “Society will have to adapt and move faster but it is difficult to forecast what is going to happen over the next ten years.”

Strict and clear regulations and controls should be put in place now to ensure society reaps the benefits of AI safely. AI companies have agency and worldwide community of technology stakeholders supporting the development, deployment and governing of emerging new technologies including Artificial Intelligence: “It is a gap that needs to be addressed because it is quite significant.”

Their concerns and the solutions required to remedy them are also on made progress in developing their own internal safety policies but that must be backed up at national and international level, particularly in respect of cyber security, said Aiimi’s senior data consultant Sneha Eashwer Singhraj.

“Government must play a crucial role in setting standards and regulations.

National policy makers hold a vital role in shaping regulations and government must collaborate across regions so they can confront global challenges and share resources.”

International understanding is also key, she added. “The focus on responsibility, policy and regulation is key in order to address the fear. It all depends on the policy makers to develop a plan that will ensure safety and accessibility for all.”

Mr Salvin and Ms Baker both said that AI is an opportunity to be seized. “The challenge is now about how we control and optimise the use of this technology,” Ms Baker said.

“We must have the imagination to look at the historic AI Safety Summit of world political and tech industry leaders at Bletchley Park. They were at the development that is set to transform the world of work and society in general. Andrew Gibbs reports.

The panel discussion in full flow at the AI Summit Decrypted event hosted by software company Aiimi the minds of educational establishments in Milton Keynes and beyond. Milton Keynes College Group principal and chief executive Sally Alexander, who was among the audience, said: “We are really excited about this and the opportunity to develop the skills that are needed in Milton Keynes.”

Dr Manolova stressed the importance of AI literacy at all levels. Professor Morrissey emphasised the need to introduce appropriate education as quickly as possible to narrow the skills gap.

Panel host Richard Foster-Fletcher, founder of MKAI, said staging the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park was a breakthrough moment for the technology and the sector. “The journey to the future of AI has started here in Milton Keynes,” he told the audience. “It is a technology that is going to change everything we do.”

And businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, have good cause to view AI as a positive for their operations. Mr Higgins said: “Businesses should approach it from a problems and opportunities perspective and establish what the right tools are to apply. For most SMEs it is just another great set of tools to solve problems and make their business a better business.

“I do not think that SMEs need to worry about regulation as long as they stay on the right side of societal concerns. A lot of it is common sense.”

Mr Lawton added: “AI is going to drive huge growth in the tech sector and will have a huge impact on all jobs. Businesses are going to be clamouring to have these data foundations to move their business forward.”

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