We need a Big Conversation about AI

We all need to talk about AI. We need a big conversation, one that involves everyone, not just because this technology is changing our future but also because we need to inspire more people from diverse backgrounds to guide its development. We need a national conversation because the most important conversations of all take place between experts and the public, not between experts, whether ethicists, academics or coders. But, as companies such as Samsung do more to engage with audiences, and new industry initiatives emerge, the trigger for the biggest public conversations is often when a new science or technology makes the headlines, often when things go wrong. Few people were interested in infectious proteins called prions until BSE, or'mad cow disease' (a phrase coined by a colleague of mine at The Daily Telegraph) became a threat to a national herd and then, through vCJD, to people.