Government appoints leading experts to UK's new AI council

Ocado CTO Paul Clarke among the experts who will work with government to accelerate the adoption of AI in the UK

Several business, academia and data privacy leaders have joined an independent expert committee to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence technology in the UK.

The UK's AI Council is comprised of online-only retailer Ocado's chief technology officer, Paul Clarke; Dame Patricia Hodgson, board member of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation; and Alan Turing Institute chief executive Professor Adrian Smith.

Other members include AI for good founder Kriti Sharma; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) chief executive Mark Walport; and Professor David Lane, founding director of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics Professor David Lane.

According to the government, these experts "are already leading the way in the development of AI". For instance, Ocado is using this technology to personalise the shopping experience of its orders and predict demand.

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Meanwhile, the Alan Turing Institute building is working to identifying and overcome barriers of AI adoption in society. These include areas such as skills, consumer trust and the protection of sensitive data.

They will leverage their industry experience to help implement the right skills, ethics and data to maximise the potential of AI systems in the UK.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright, said: "Britain is already a leading authority in AI. We are home to some of the world's finest academic institutions, landing record levels of investment to the sector and attracting the best global tech talent, but we must not be complacent.

"Through our AI Council we will continue this momentum by leveraging the knowledge of experts from a range of sectors to provide leadership on the best use and adoption of artificial intelligence across the economy.

"Under the leadership of Tabitha Goldstaub, the Council will represent the UK AI Sector on the international stage and help us put in place the right skills and practices to make the most of data-driven technologies."

The Council forms part of the government's £1bn AI Sector Deal, which was announced a year ago to "realise the full potential of AI to the economy".

Its aim is to "cultivate and encourage a much wider representation of experts to focus on specific topics which will initially include,but not limited to, data & ethics, adoption, skills and diversity", according to the government.

"This will allow the broader AI community to work together to drive towards solutions and engage in making the UK a leader in the AI and data revolution," it added.

Tabitha Goldstaub, AI Council Chair and AI Business Champion, said: "I'm thrilled the AI Council membership has been announced, convening a brilliant mix of experts who have agreed to offer their time, experience and insight to support the growth and responsible adoption of AI in the UK.

"If we are to grasp the full benefits of AI technologies it is vital all of the AI community comes together and works with the AI Council to create an open dialogue between industry, academia and the public sector, so we can see social and economic benefits for all of society."

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