Martin Goodson to speak at #RISK A.I. Digital

 Livestreaming March 20 and 21, #RISK A.I. Digital examines how we can harness AI technologies responsibly, ethically and safely.

Across two days, thought leaders, industry experts and senior professionals will provide their insight, enabling audiences to understand how to mitigate risk, comply with regulations and achieve robust governance over AI.

Event speaker, Martin Goodson is CEO of Evolution AI. A former Oxford University scientific researcher, Martin has led AI research at several organisations. In 2019, he was elected Chair of the Data Science and AI Section of the Royal Statistical Society, the membership group representing professional data scientists in the UK

Martin will be at #RISK A.I. Digital to discuss how AI might pose threats to humanity, and what organisations can do to mitigate risk.

Below, he goes over his professional journey and highlights the key themes of his session.

Could you briefly outline your career so far?

I am a former Oxford University scientific researcher and have led AI research at several organisations. In 2019, I was elected Chair of the Data Science and AI Section of the Royal Statistical Society, the membership group which represents AI practitioners in the UK. Also, since 2014, I have run what has become the largest community of AI experts in Europe: the London Machine Learning Meetup. In 2015, I founded the multiple award-winning AI data extraction firm Evolution AI.

What specific risks do you see AI posing to humanity?

Firstly, I’d recommend moving away from ‘existential risk’ science-fiction narratives. None of these narratives have any evidential basis. The central risk that AI poses is the societal disruption caused by the concentration of power into one or two dominating tech vendors. 

AI has the ability to restructure current employment systems - eliminating, or diminishing the value, of higher-paying and socially prestigious jobs. There are also serious social and political risks associated with unregulated AI-generated content (deepfakes etc.) that are too numerous to mention here. Together, the risks associated with AI signal an irrevocable shift in the modern world.

What measures should underpin the strategy of regulators and industry leaders in order to mitigate these risks and ensure AI is embraced safely?

Firstly, I believe that regulation should not curb innovation. In AI, significant innovation occurs in open-source AI models. Open-source models offer a collaborative public good, and it’s important that their value is recognised and their development supported.

Ultimately, it would be great to see regulation that equalises the relationship between privately owned companies and the public sphere. For context, the US government invested $3.3 billion in AI: a seemingly sizeable sum. In contrast, in February, Sam Altman sought up to $7 trillion in funding for OpenAI. Currently, there is a real risk that regulations will continue to allow AI to be developed only for profit rather than equitable societal good.