Professional standards for data science could pave way for AI regulation

A new alliance of professional and research organisations is aiming to deliver a set of professional standards for data scientists. If widely adopted, the framework could go a long way to ensuring those working on advanced AI and machine learning systems (AI/ML) do so in a way that mitigates the emerging technology's risk to society. It could eventually lead to anyone unethically implementing AI being'struck off', or banned from the profession, one expert told Tech Monitor. The Alliance for Data Science Professionals has been formed by organisations including the BCS, the chartered institute for IT, and the Alan Turing Institute for AI research, along with the Royal Statistical Society, the Institute of Mathematics and the National Physical Laboratory. It aims to set the standards "needed to ensure an ethical and well-governed approach so the public, organisations and governments can have confidence in how their data is used".