A new report has found that the Government needs to better coordinate its artificial intelligence (AI) policy and technology by national and local government. The House of Lords Liaison Committee’s report, ‘AI in the UK: No Room for Complacency’, has concluded that ethical AI is the only sustainable way forward, and the Government should move from deciding what the ethics are, to how to instil them in the development and deployment of AI systems.
This report examines the progress made by the Government in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence in its 2018 report ‘AI in the UK: ready, willing and able?’
Lord Clement-Jones, who was Chair of the Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, said: “The Government has done well to establish a range of bodies to advise it on AI over the long term. However, we caution against complacency. There must be more and better coordination, and it must start at the top.
“A Cabinet Committee must be created whose first task should be to commission and approve a five-year strategy for AI. The strategy should prepare society to take advantage of AI rather than be taken advantage of by it.
“The Government must lead the way on making ethical AI a reality. To not do so would be to waste the progress it has made to date, and to squander the opportunities AI presents for everyone in the UK.”
The report found that the increase in reliance on technology caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the opportunities and risks associated with the use of technology, and in particular, data. Active steps must be taken by the Government to explain to the general public the use of their personal data by AI.
It advises that the Government must take immediate steps to appoint a Chief Data Officer, whose responsibilities should include acting as a champion for the opportunities presented by AI in the public service, and ensuring that understanding and use of AI, and the safe and principled use of public data, are embedded across the public service.
A problem remains with the general digital skills base in the UK according to the research, with around 10% of UK adults were non-internet users in 2018. It calls for the Government to take steps to ensure that the digital skills of the UK are brought up to speed, as well as to ensure that people have the opportunity to reskill and retrain to be able to adapt to the evolving labour market caused by AI.
Finally, the report concluded that AI will become embedded in everything we do. It will not necessarily make huge numbers of people redundant, but when the Covid-19 pandemic recedes and the Government has to address the economic impact of it, the nature of work will change and there will be a need for different jobs and skills. This will be complemented by opportunities for AI, and the Government and industry must be ready to ensure that retraining opportunities take account of this. In particular, the AI Council should identify the industries most at risk, and the skills gaps in those industries. The lords call for a specific national training scheme should be designed to support people to work alongside AI and automation, and to be able to maximise its potential.
