2025.Mar.18

REPORTS

Report on the lecture by Steph Wright
“Why Trustworthy, Ethical, and Inclusive AI Matters”

On the evening of 21st November 2024, we were delighted to welcome Steph Wright, who delivered an insightful lecture on Scotland’s mission to advance trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive AI, and what this means for the population at large. While buzzwords like “SDG” or “diversity” are often used to promote various initiatives without much thought, Steph highlighted how Scotland’s AI strategy genuinely strives to achieve these goals. She emphasised the inclusion of everyone from the diverse cultures and communities that make up Scotland’s population. To achieve this, she stressed the importance of ensuring that individuals trust how, when, and why AI is being used, have confidence in its applications, and are able to rely on robust guidelines to manage and mitigate the inherent risks associated with AI usage.

As the head of the Scottish AI Alliance, Steph walked us through various initiatives spearheaded by her organisation to put these visions into practice. One notable initiative is the “AI Playbook,” a resource hub designed for businesses and organisations in Scotland, offering guidance on best practices and ethical approaches for responsible AI implementation and development. She discussed how the playbook addresses rarely explored topics, such as the “AI Gap” between technology companies and everyday businesses. For instance, those in the tech industry often operate in “AI echo chambers,” failing to recognise that many businesses not only lack AI initiatives but also exhibit little interest in adopting such technology, despite feeling external pressures to do so.

Steph emphasised that community engagement and individual participation are cornerstones of the Scottish AI Alliance’s practices. She outlined their strategy of encouraging non-tech businesses and people in Scotland to engage with AI through relationship-building and outreach programmes. These efforts have provided unique opportunities to understand what the Scottish population actually thinks and needs. Steph highlighted these interactions while discussing Scotland’s pioneering efforts, such as offering what may be the first AI public literacy programme in the United Kingdom—and potentially the world—delivered by the state rather than multinational tech companies.

Further reminding the audience of the importance of understanding the existing power structures embedded in AI, Steph reiterated that technology is NOT neutral. She stressed the need for diverse teams not only during product ideation and creation, but throughout the entire lifecycle of technological products, ensuring that checks and balances remain in place even after deployment. Furthermore, she underscored the critical role of knowledge and education, advocating for widespread understanding of how AI works to enable people to provide accurate input and make informed decisions about its usage. She cited her own painful experience of Brexit as a member of the United Kingdom, where public misinformation and widespread lies caused swarms of ordinary voters to vote against their best interests. Ultimately resulting in the permanent loss of EU member state privileges for current and future generations of British citizens.

In concluding her talk, Steph illuminated a common misconception about AI adoption: the fear of being left behind if one does not embrace it. She argued that this mindset is flawed and urged the audience to base decisions about AI usage on its potential to genuinely improve or enhance life, rather than blindly adopting it due to corporate-driven fears of neglect.

Leaving the audience with much to ponder about the power dynamics in AI and technology development, Steph concluded the evening with a powerful quote: “Let’s make AI work for 8 billion people and not for 8 billionaires.”