Ann Davison, President of the National Council of Women spoke at the Round table on AI last week to express concern about the role of AI in nudification, misinformation, scams, suicide and the erosion of democracy. The event led by the Soroptimists at Commonwealth House came up with both challenges and solutions.
A key challenge is that AI systems are trained on datasets that already reflect deep societal imbalances, which can reinforce gender bias. There is also the reality that most major AI models are developed in the US and China, limiting the UK’s ability to influence the standards, safety practices and values built into these technologies.
A suggested solution was to see this as a consumer issue and AI as a product which therefore needs to be safe e g product liability would apply. The company putting the final product into market should be responsible – equivalent to the retailer. Consumers should have routes to redress.
NCW has set up a high level study group of academics, medics, lawyers and safeguarding experts to pursue these issues.