PRESS RELEASE: Accredited TIC sector key to providing confidence in ethical AI development

London, UK – March 27th, 2024

The global Quality Infrastructure is set to play a major role in the ethical development, governance and adoption of Artificial Intelligence solutions.  This was the conclusion of a specially convened AI summit that brought together a wide cross section of leading academic, quality industry and government figures.

Moderated by BBC Journalist Stephen Sackur, the speakers and panellists delved into the critical intersections of AI and governance. They explored the challenges of ethically developing AI solutions and the opportunities this presents to key stakeholders in global quality infrastructure, businesses and wider society.  Topics debated ranged from the promise of AI and digitisation, to the role of regulatory and voluntary assurance in identifying, assessing and managing risks to ensure AI solutions are developed ethically.

Matt Gantley, CEO of summit co-organisers The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) said: “Whilst Artificial Intelligence is still in its relative infancy, AI is set to play a major role in all aspects of our daily lives, even though society and businesses remain naturally cautious about adapting to rapid change delivered through unfamiliar technology.  What’s clear from this summit is that global quality infrastructures are intrinsic to generating the necessary confidence that AI products and solutions are being developed safely, ethically and transparently, allowing them to be trusted and adopted.”

Hanane Taidi, Director General of TIC Council said: “With the self-learning properties of AI systems, we need to ensure incorporating continuous monitoring mechanisms of the reliability and fairness of these systems throughout their lifecycle. The quality infrastructure ecosystem is well equipped to help build the guardrails to support a safe and secure deployment of this technology."

The summit, held today at London’s Mansion House, was jointly organised by UKAS and the TIC Council, the global association of the Testing Inspection and Certification sector.  The panel consisted of representatives from key components of the global infrastructure, including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), British Standards Institution (BSI), the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the TÜV AI.Lab in Germany.  Broader AI perspectives were provided by both University College Cork and the Responsible AI Institute, whilst the UK government was represented on the panel by the Deputy Director of Responsible Technology Adoption Unit at The Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Kevin Hollinrake MP, Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade brought the event to a close, stating “As AI technologies increasingly underpin the digital services we use everyday, the importance of the National Quality Infrastructure in assuring those AI technologies will be brought into even sharper focus.”

Delegates also heard from the summit’s host, the Rt. Hon. Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli, who stated: “AI will have a transformative effect on the way we all do things. Whether it’s education or innovation, transport or technology, our world will change. The UK is in prime position to lead this debate, we attract more AI-related private investment from venture capital than the rest of Europe combined. The UK AI market could be potentially worth $1 trillion by 2035 significantly boosting our economic growth.”

“That’s why I’m proud to be hosting this AI summit.  As well as exploring the promise of AI it will examine the role of regulation including testing, inspection, certification, and accredited commercial standards markets to ensure appropriate reliance on AI solutions.”