Londoners were today urged by the capital’s first chief digital officer to trust and embrace artificial intelligence to help generate prosperity.
Theo Blackwell, who was appointed to the City Hall role by Sadiq Khan in 2017, said the AI-led digital revolution will be crucial to supporting London’s future growth by improving public services and aiding job creation.
He was speaking at the launch of a new white paper on AI drawn up by software company Automated Analytics at the Unlocking Data, Unlocking People event at Scale Space White City in west London.
Some sceptics of AI have warned that the technology could lead to mass redundancies or even, ultimately, to the destruction of humanity.
But Blackwell said: “Successful AI is now a cornerstone of the digital revolution and I’m proud that London is a global leader in the research, development and innovation of artificial intelligence.
“We’ve backed a series of local projects which use AI to understand air quality, flooding risks and even its use to enforce against flytipping, and have already begun to see the huge potential of Generative AI in improving public services and supporting job creation.
He added: “AI can only flourish if Londoners trust its use, so I will be advocating for openness, transparency and adherence to the strong data protection laws that we have as we create a better, more prosperous London for everyone.”
Mark Taylor, CEO of Automated Analytics, said: “We have proven that AI can improve public services, save money and support job creation which in turn supports the government’s policy to use AI as a key route to reducing costs in the public sector.”
