Will AI affect the way we work?

The Committee will consider evidence on how AI already impacts work today, how this will change over the next decade and the kinds of jobs most likely to be lost and created as a result of AI adoption. It will also explore the biggest advantages and disadvantages that AI could bring to consumers.

These are among the key issues the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence will be raising with two panels of witnesses on Tuesday 14 November 2017 from 3.30pm.

The first panel will be at 3.30pm and the Committee will hear from:

• Olly Buston, CEO and founder, Future Advocacy
  Future Advocacy is a think tank and consultancy with expertise in advocacy strategies and research. Mr Buston wrote the report "An Intelligent Future?" which focused on what the UK Government can do to maximise the opportunities and minimise the risks of AI.  He is co-author of the recent report “The Impact of AI in UK Constituencies”.
• Professor Henrietta Moore, Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity, and Chair of Culture, Philosophy and Design, UCL
  The Institute for Global Prosperity's mission is to transform how we make decisions, the kinds of evidence and reasoning on which our decisions are based, and the tools we have at our disposal. Professor Moore is a distinguished anthropologist and cultural theorist and her recent work has focused on the notion of global sustainable futures. Professor Moore co-authored the recent report “Social prosperity for the future: A proposal for Universal Basic Services”.
• Professor Richard Susskind OBE, IT Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
  Professor Susskind is an author, speaker, and independent adviser to major professional firms and national governments. His main area of expertise is the future of professional services and the way in which the IT and the Internet are changing the work of lawyers. Professor Susskind is also the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Oxford Internet Institute where he is also a Visiting Professor.

Questions the Committee is likely to ask include:

• How robust are predictions about job losses and job creation as a result of AI and automation?
• Should the Government consider how to mitigate the potential impact of AI on jobs?
• What information about AI does the public need in order to make informed choices about their skills, jobs and careers?
• Is our education system preparing young people for the challenges they will face in a world potentially dominated by AI?

The second panel will be at 4.30pm and the Committee will hear from:

• Paul Clarke, Chief Technology Officer, Ocado
  Mr Clarke heads up Ocado Technology, whose 1100 software engineers and other IT specialists are responsible for building all the software and IT infrastructure that powers Ocado.com (the world's biggest online-only supermarket).
• Dr Joseph Reger, Chief Technology Officer Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA), Fujitsu
  Fujitsu is one of the top five information and communication technology providers in the world. It has more than 156,000 employees world-wide in over 100 countries. Dr Reger has worked for various Fujitsu entities since 1998. He is also the Chair of Fellows for the Fujitsu Distinguished Engineer's Scheme.
• Dr Mark Taylor, Global Strategy & Research Director, Dyson
  Dyson Ltd was established in 1991 by James Dyson OM CBE, a British inventor and designer. Earlier this year Dyson invested an estimated £2.5billion on turning the former RAF base at Hullavington into a research camp for robotics, artificial intelligence and other advanced technology.

Questions the Committee is likely to ask include:

• How difficult is it to hire staff with the necessary skills to develop or make use of AI?
• What role do ethical guidelines or principles play when their companies develop AI systems?
• Should consumers be informed in advance when AI is integrated into products or services they are using?
• How important is it for their companies that their AI systems are transparent in how they operate, and that the logic behind the decisions they make is understandable?

These evidence sessions will take place at 3.30pm on Tuesday 14 November 2017 in Committee Room 4A of the House of Lords.

Last month the Committee published the written evidence it accepted into the inquiry. Click the link below to read this evidence, as well as the transcripts of the Committee's previous oral evidence sessions:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/ai-committee/publications/