At the AI Summit London, experts from EY, Unilever, and Ocado explored the implications of the newly enacted EU AI Act, which mandates safe and responsible AI deployments.
Sofia Ihsan, EY’s responsible AI consulting leader for the U.K. and Ireland, stressed the importance of businesses maintaining an inventory of their AI use cases to ensure compliance and ethical implementation. “You can’t govern what you can’t know about,” Ihsan remarked, advising companies to document their AI applications comprehensively.
Ihsan also recommended that AI teams educate other parts of their organizations about the basics of AI to help them understand its scope and implications. Additionally, she highlighted the need to integrate AI risk management with other areas such as third-party collaborations and cybersecurity, noting, “AI doesn’t exist in a vacuum.”
Myrna Macgregor, principal data strategist and lead for responsible AI and robotics at Ocado Technology, emphasized the necessity of robust support for monitoring AI risks. She advocated for a collaborative approach, saying, “Issuing a call to action and getting volunteers from across the business involved in the responsible AI process can bring out valuable insights and ideas from unexpected quarters.”
Macgregor mentioned that her team aims to meet the highest regulatory standards set by the EU AI Act, which classifies AI systems based on their risk levels. She noted that Ocado Technology is working to comprehend the Act's broad language and determine its impact on their generative AI use cases, which may require increased transparency and disclosures.
Monika Robeva, Unilever’s AI and privacy governance manager, underscored the need for a cross-functional approach to responsible AI. She advocated for involving diverse teams, including legal, privacy, employment law, cybersecurity, and procurement, as well as technology teams. Robeva also suggested that sustainability teams could play a crucial role, stating, “There’s a bunch of people that really need to get involved in this and feel like they have a stake in it.”
The panel discussion highlighted the complexities and collaborative efforts required for businesses to comply with the EU AI Act and deploy AI responsibly.
