Welcome to our new ‘Sharing Insights’ blog series, offering a unique opportunity to demonstrate the skills and expertise of some of our academics at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU)- opening new avenues for communication with businesses and a broad range of stakeholders.

With increasing legal frameworks and policies being developed and enforced, 2024 has been designated as the year for AI governance. Calls for businesses developing and deploying AI systems to adopt policies based on ethical and legal principles to ensure adequate self-governance measures are at the heart of AI governance. Businesses must not only get to grips with understanding the emerging governance environment; they will have to place AI governance at the core of their business by adopting decision-making processes that align with the regulatory model adopted nationally in promoting responsible AI and minimising risks, harms, and potential liability. The urgency and importance of responsible business transformation in adopting AI governance measures cannot be overstated. It is a crucial step in the evolution of the business landscape. 

In May 2024, the Enterprise & Engagement Department at Canterbury Christ Church University organised an in-person AI for Business and Enterprise Conference. This conference was a significant event, offering several sessions to improve competencies around the use of AI. A dedicated session titled ‘AI Governance: An Overview of the Emerging Field and What Businesses Need to Know’ was chaired by myself and presented by two speakers from the Alan Turing Institute – Shakir Laher and Arcangelo Leone De Castris. The session provided the direction in which regulation is moving whilst setting out potential shifts that may direct its adaptability, including consideration of the impending EU AI Act.  

On 6 February 2024, the then-UK government released its response to the White Paper consultation, adopting an agile AI regulation model and a pro-innovation approach. It encouraged “AI companies to develop their AI safety and responsible capability scaling policies”. It imposed obligations on businesses to adopt an AI governance framework that aligns with its five cross-sectoral principles. Conversely, the EU AI Act presents the emergence of the first legal framework for setting global standards on legal obligations to be adopted by businesses that either develop or deploy AI tools. It was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 12 July 2024, indicating that the law will come into force 20 days from the said date, setting in motion a legal schedule for the graduated implementation of the provisions of the law. With its extra-territorial effect, businesses in the UK will need to consider the implications of the regime when AI systems developed in the UK are deployed in EU member states.   

In the UK and countries adopting a self-governance approach, businesses are vested with stewardship in managing AI risks in developing and deploying AI systems. In managing standards and risks and codifying good practices as part of good governance, businesses must operationalise policies for developing or deploying  ‘Responsible and Trustworthy AI’. In this vein, businesses in the UK have several tools available, such as the British Standards Institution (BSI)’s first-of-a-kind AI management system, which is designed to provide “guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving an AI management system within the context of an organization” introduced on 31 December 2023. In addition to this initiative, the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF) announced the launch of the AI and Digital Hub pilot in April 2024 to support innovators working on AI or digital products by providing informal advice on complex regulatory questions that cross multiple DRCF regulators’ remit – where developers can actively participate, post questions, and access case studies, fostering a sense of community and collaboration between regulators and innovators. Formed in July 2020, DRCF regulators span the breadth of digital regulation comprising four UK regulators, namely the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and the Office of Communications (Ofcom). As an alternative, businesses may also seek to procure the services of organisations such as Holistic AI that employ AI assurance techniques and oversight procedures to ensure that AI systems are managed through their lifecycle.  

As a final point, business adoption of a risk management strategy is central to whether governments adopt a voluntary self-governance approach to managing AI risks or impose a strict regulatory regime. With the new Labour government now at the helm of steering policies and laws in the UK, the AI governance space in the UK will experience shifts, and businesses will have to be agile in adapting to these.   

BIO 

Jaspal’s current research interest is in legal and ethical debates involving AI governance, including information and communication technology law related challenges perambulating freedom of thought, speech and expression.  She is currently working on creating a guide to enhance legal literacy in the use of generative AI tools in teaching and learning. Drawing from her extensive knowledge of the legal and ethical AI landscape, Jaspal is able to assist businesses that are developing and deploying AI tools in creating assessment strategies as part of a regulatory sandbox in meeting the rigours of a Trustworthy and Responsible AI. With the increasing ubiquity and maturity of AI tools, alongside concerns of risks and harms flowing from their use and the ever-growing call for trust, Jaspal foresees the incremental demand of businesses to be held accountable for consequences, both legal and ethical, of their use. 

To discuss potential collaborations where your project may intersect with AI Law and Ethics, please get in touch with Jaspal at jaspalkaur.sadhusingh@cantebury.ac.uk. 

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University Profile: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/people/jaspal-kaur-sadhu-singh

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LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaspalkaursadhusingh