Jersey technology leaders including the Director of Jersey’s Cyber Security Centre, have joined 1,300 leading technologists in signing an open letter calling AI a ‘force for good’ and highlighting the opportunity to develop a responsible AI industry.
Matt Palmer – who is responsible for leading Jersey’s response to cyber threats from other countries (CERT.je), organised crime and hackers – signed the open letter from the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
Matt said: “Jersey in particular has a huge opportunity to capitalise on the development of responsible artificial intelligence. AI leads to high value roles in tech, cyber and law that can drive economic growth and provide interesting and rewarding careers for Islanders.
“Whilst we do not have the scale of larger jurisdictions, we are excellent at bringing together specialists to create trusted and well regulated environments. AI carries significant risks that will need to be managed, and Jersey’s expertise in compliance, regulation, law, and technology puts us in a strong position. We can also act faster. What is needed is a focus on how this can best be achieved.”
The open letter to Government and Industry says:
AI is not an existential threat to humanity; it will be a transformative force for good if we get critical decisions about its development and use right.
The UK can help lead the way in setting professional and technical standards in AI roles, supported by a robust code of conduct, international collaboration and fully resourced regulation.
By doing so, “Coded in Britain” can become a global byword for high-quality, ethical, inclusive AI.
Matt added: “Very few changes are universally good, or universally bad. Being uncomfortable with change is good. It tells we need to fully understand the nature of that change and its potential consequences, and have a plan to manage it. But change should not be stopped simply because we are uncomfortable with it, nor can it be.
“Discussing her pioneering work on radiation, the scientist Marie Curie said that “nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” At what may well be the greatest inflection point in human history, she has never been more right.
“That’s why I’m honoured to be one of the 1,300 signatories to this letter.”
