Lords to explore how new technologies for the application of the law are bought and sold
Tuesday 19 October 2021
The House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee will today be considering how new technologies used in the application of the law are bought and sold – questioning a panel of witnesses with experience on both sides of the transaction.
The witnesses will speak about how police forces and other justice bodies choose what tools they need and learn how to use them. Other questions on quality control, bias training for end-users and legal frameworks will seek to understand what effect the tools have upon the rule of law, and who can be held accountable if they go wrong.
Giving evidence will be:
- Dr Liam Owens, Founder and CEO, Semantics 21
- Professor Sandra Wachter, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
- Mr David Lewis, former Deputy Chief Constable of Dorset Police, and former ethics lead, National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC)
Questions the committee is likely to ask include:
- When a public body is purchasing a sophisticated technology, what are the key milestones of the process, for both purchaser and vendor?
- What are the main hurdles to purchasing or selling new technologies for the application of the law?
- Who should be held accountable for the misuse or failure of technology?
- To what extent do purchasers and vendors comply with AI procurement guidelines?
- How could public bodies be confident in the scope, quality, and legality of the technology they are procuring?
- What balance can be struck between transparency and commercial confidentiality?
The session will take place on Tuesday 19 October at 11.00 a.m. and can be followed on Parliament TV.
