Written evidence submitted by John Phillips, Consultant (ADM0024)
Reviewing and considering this issue could be considered pointless and a waste of the UK’s taxpayers money.
If the committee does not understand that this subject has long passed any theoretical or practical intervention, then I would ask them to refer to people who work actively in the field of big data and AI.
With Apple, Google, Microsoft Facebook and Baidu all being in the top six global businesses who make it their business every day to create ever more complex algorithms for decision making - what chance does the UK have, (especially outside the EU), in influencing ANY of these technologies.
No law, no procedural review, no application of government thinking will make a jot of difference to this global change.
The UK MUST create massive change and opportunity via industry and commerce using these new algorithms. Any attempt to try to control such work will just push back the UK’s ability to compete. The government should concentrate on applying algorithms created by industry and commerce as they have been found wanting in attempting to apply technology for over 50 Years.
What I ask the committee to concentrate on is how the UK can lever itself into a leading position within the AI field.
Especially with the provision of centralised, independent data for the huge number of applications that will simply change the world within the next 10 to15 years.
See already published select committee paper:-
The question the committee should be exploring is how the UK leverages big data and AI for the future of the UK - or the future will look very bleak indeed. Please get on with it.
December 2017