Science Office highlights AI potential, but signposts governance and ethics issues - Government Computing Network

Report discusses "special responsibilities for government which follow from its use of artificial intelligence and big data" A report by the Government Office for Science has warned that making the most of artificial intelligence, including in the public sector, will require the government to pay strong attention to ethics and governance. The report, Artificial intelligence: opportunities and implications for the future of decision making by government chief scientific advisor, Sir Mark Walport and Home Office permanent secretary Mark Sedwill, says it is important that the government actively works to bring this about. "Reaping the benefits of this revolution in information technology will require an approach to ethics and governance that enables innovation, builds trust among citizens, establishes a stable environment for businesses and investors, and fosters appropriate access to the data necessary for computer science to develop this technology still further," the report said. "The right form of governance for artificial intelligence, and indeed for the use of digital data more widely, is not self-evident. It is important to consider forms of data governance that cover all elements of the increasingly complex space, from responsibly generating data from people's behaviour to remaining accountable for autonomous software agents. Additionally, any approach adopted must be flexible, able to adapt to new uses and more advanced forms of artificial intelligence. There are many models that can be considered. But the important task is to set out what needs to be done before considering how it is to be achieved."