Digital Ethics Summit 2024

Welcome and introductory remarks

9.30am – 9.45am GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 15 mins

Presentation

Morning Keynote

9.45am – 10am GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 15 mins

Presentation

Industry keynote

10am – 10.15am GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 15 mins

Presentation

The AI Landscape in 2024: What are the latest technical breakthroughs and what does this means for digital ethics?

10.15am – 11am GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Panel

This opening plenary session will take stock of the current AI landscape and explore what the latest technical developments and emerging trends in AI seen in the last twelve months means for the digital ethics discussion and community. A panel of experts will guide attendees through the current state of the AI industry and explain what recent technological advancements and their real-world application means for people, economy, society and the planet. It will ask what ethical issues, questions and challenges are being raised today and explore how they can be addressed. From the latest in embedded AI (EAI), multimodal learning, specialised AI models to computer vision and the evolution of chatbots and virtual assistants, we'll examine how these innovations are already transforming industries and everyday experiences. We’ll discuss the extent to which we are considering how today's technical capabilities align with our societal values and expectations and assess how the AI industry and digital ethics community are managing to grapple with the ethical implications that arise from the continued pace and speed of the evolution of AI and if not ask what more needs to be done and by whom.    

Coffee break and networking 

11am – 11.15am GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 15 mins

Break

What lies ahead for UK AI regulation, governance and safety?

11.15am – 12pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Panel

As AI reshapes our world and becomes increasingly integrated into society, it holds immense promise for driving economic growth and improving productivity. However, realising this potential requires a carefully balanced approach to AI governance and safety - one that supports innovation while addressing potential risks. This panel peers into the future of AI regulation, exploring the government’s planned legislation to regulate AI, and the role of the AI Safety Institute in addressing new challenges. With the UK's decisions and approach to AI regulation being watched around the world and having the potential to not only affect domestic innovation and ethical standards but also possibly influence global approaches, particularly in light of the upcoming France AI Action Summit, this forward-looking discussion will explore the opportunities and challenges ahead for AI governance. 

Return of “Meet the Regulators” – Navigating Regulation, Ethics, and Enforcement

12pm – 12.45pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Panel

The past year has seen significant activity by UK regulators as they implement the UK’s AI regulatory approach, underpinned by the core ethical principles. This session is an opportunity to take stock of the developments over the past year and discuss the next steps in the regulation and enforcement of ethical AI in the UK. 

 

Kate Jones, CEO of the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF), will introduce this session and set the stage for the return of the “Meet the Regulators” panel. This panel brings back together key regulators to reflect on progress made to operationalise the UK’s AI regulatory approach. They will share insights on lessons learnt so far and what lies ahead as the Regulators move to put principles into practice and focus turns to compliance, audit and enforcement.  

 

This discussion will also explore the regulatory capacity and resources needed to keep pace with the rapidly evolving AI landscape, and effectively implement the UK’s AI strategy. As digital regulation becomes increasingly cross-cutting, the panel will also explore what further engagement may be needed between the Regulators and the AI and digital ethics community as their work moves forward.  

The Evolution of AI Assurance and Standards: Are we on the right path to supporting strategy and compliance?

12.45pm – 1.30pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Breakout Session

Three years ago, the UK set out an ambitious roadmap for AI assurance. This panel brings together experts to assess how far we've come and what challenges remain in building a robust AI assurance and standards ecosystem. As the AI landscape shifts from unbridled innovation to a more structured compliance framework, we face critical questions: How are codified practices and standards shaping AI development? What are the evolving responsibilities of AI developers versus deployers? And crucially, are we on the right path to support both strategy and compliance in this rapidly changing field? Our discussion will grapple with these complex issues, offering insights into the practical challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.  

Building Responsible Technology - Tools for Teams Interactive Session Facilitated by Thought Works

12.45pm – 1.30pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Breakout Session

This hands-on session provides an overview of the Responsible Tech Playbook, a practical guide to nurturing a responsible tech mindset across large, complex organisations. The playbook includes an open collection of workshops and tools that teams can use to incorporate responsible tech thinking into their day-to-day work. Session attendees will also get a chance to try out one of the recommended tools - the Tarot Cards of Tech (created by Artefact). This short, facilitated activity provokes conversations about various ethical questions to help teams think more deeply about their designs and ultimately deliver better solutions that minimise the risks of unintended consequences. 

Responsible Adoption of AI in the Public Sector: How do we get the balance right between value, impact, ethics and trust?

12.45pm – 1.30pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Breakout Session

The potential for AI to enhance public services, improve efficiency, and drive innovation is immense. Yet, with these opportunities come significant challenges in ensuring responsible adoption that aligns with public values and maintains societal trust. Our discussion will delve into examples of AI adoption in policing and health care, examining both successes and lessons learned. We'll explore the challenges being faced by the public sector, from data governance, data quality and privacy concerns to the need for transparency in decision-making processes. The panel will also address the critical role of governance frameworks in guiding responsible AI adoption, ensuring the right data and digital foundations are in place for successful adoption of AI, and the importance of cross-sector collaboration in developing best practices. 

Lunch

1.30pm – 2.15pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Break

Afternoon Keynote

2.15pm – 2.30pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 15 mins

Presentation

Truth in the Age of AI: Verifying Synthetic Media and Navigating the Sociocultural Impact of Disinformation

2.30pm – 3.15pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Panel

As emerging technologies democratise the creation of synthetic media, the ease of fabricating visual content has blurred the lines between real and fake. With the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report projecting disinformation as a leading concern over the next two years, this session will move beyond traditional conversations about news verification and fact-checking. We’ll explore how these innovations are challenging traditional methods of verifying truth, particularly through images, and discuss the broader sociocultural impact of disinformation. Our speakers will reflect on cultural shifts like the resurgence of analogue technologies as a countermovement focused on authenticity and the importance of teaching verification skills in today’s media landscape. The session will revisit last year’s Digital Ethics Summit dialogue on disinformation’s role in elections, examining why truth remains fundamental to democracy and societal trust. The session will conclude by taking stock of how disinformation affects trust on individual (micro) and societal (macro) levels and evaluating our current regulatory frameworks and technological countermeasures to mitigate it. 

Ethics beyond AI: Emerging Tech, Data, and Our Digital Future

3.15pm – 4pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Breakout Session

As the next generation of digital innovations and emerging technologies move from science fiction to reality, it’s crucial that ethical considerations extend far beyond the realm of AI. This session will explore the application of ethical principles across a broad spectrum of cutting-edge technologies, including those set to underpin the metaverse, extended reality, and robotics. We'll take a holistic view of the risks and opportunities arising from the intersection of these and traverse the ethical aspects of the very infrastructure that supports them. Central to our discussion will be the critical role of data in shaping our technological future and forming the foundation for developing tech. The panel will emphasise the importance of anticipatory ethics and cross-disciplinary collaboration in developing frameworks to proactively address potential issues. In a world in which the speed of technological advancement can often outpace ethical conversations and debates, this session aims to inspire the digital ethics community to consider how the UK can stay ahead of the curve, question to what extent increased engagement and collaboration with the innovators of the future is needed now, and explore how this can be achieved. 

Ethics in Action: A World Cafe with the Alan Turing Institute

3.15pm – 4pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Breakout Session

Using a world café approach this interactive session will bring together attendees with ethics experts from The Alan Turing Institute's Public Policy Programme to explore putting ethics and governance principles into practice across the AI project lifecycle. The session will explore components of the official guidance on AI Ethics and Safety, developed with the UK's Office for Artificial Intelligence and the Government Digital Service. Attendees will also engage in discussions around the challenges and opportunities for AI innovation in the public sector, and how to ensure that AI is produced and used ethically, safely, and responsibly. 

Meet the ‘AI Ethicists’ – Insights from responsible AI practitioners

3.15pm – 4pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Breakout Session

In a year where organisations have been focusing on finding information, answers, and solutions to address questions raised by developments in AI technology and governance, discussion about the role and importance of the AI Ethicist has only increased. This panel provides a chance to hear from responsible AI practitioners and gain insights on how AI ethicists are helping shape organisation practices. In this session, we will discuss how the role is defined, integrated, and valued, as well as what our panelists see as the evolving responsibilities, skills needed, and prominence of the AI Ethicist within organisations and the wider compliance community. Speakers will discuss the efforts being made to professionalise AI ethics and whether clearer career paths and accreditation are needed. Finally, we’ll look forward to the challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead for the responsible AI practitioner. 

Coffee break

4pm – 4.15pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 15 mins

Break

Charting a course for the future: What does the next 12 months hold?

4.15pm – 5pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 45 mins

Panel

2024 has been a year of reflection, consolidation and refinement following the event of the year where generative AI and Large Language Models went mainstream. This year we have seen the confirmation of the UK’s approach to AI regulation and the conversation move from principles to practice, the global AI Safety discussion evolve to include innovation and inclusivity and a real focus on the opportunities and potential of greater AI adoption across both the public and private sectors.  But what's next? What new breakthroughs or challenges might reshape the digital ethics conversation in 2025?  This panel brings together leading AI figures to consider what 2025 may hold in digital innovation, what this could mean for the digital ethics debate and ask whether we have the right structures, institutions, and tools to respond to questions and challenges that may lie ahead.  It will look ahead to international events and developments expected next year and discuss the possible implications for the UK.  We will close the day by reflecting on what lessons can be learnt from 2024 and peer into the AI future that await us and ask how the digital ethics community can best prepare for what comes next together. 

Closing statement

5pm – 5.15pm GMT, 4 December 2024 ‐ 15 mins

Presentation