Can the UK still Influence the Global AI Governance Agenda?

The next Debating Group debate, sponsored by Tulip Siddiq MP, will take place at 17:00 on Tuesday, 21 May and has been organised by the Data & Marketing Association (DMA). The motion will be: “Despite the EU, US and China’s dominance, the UK can still influence the global AI governance agenda.”

It is all everyone is talking about.

You’ve heard it said over and over in recent times: AI will have huge implications for how we live our lives. This we all agree. But there is considerable debate about how exactly it will do so.

Much of this will depend on who makes the rules to govern it. In an increasingly conflict-ridden world both offline and online, this is a fierce battle with countries, companies, and the people all vying to have a say.

There is no doubt the UK and its industry has a part to play. But can it compete with seemingly much larger forces at play, whether markets or governments of the EU, USA or China?

This will be up for debate at the DMA-sponsored Debating Group event.

Speakers:

Proposing 1: Ashley Winton, Partner, Mishcon de Reya
A former computer designer, Ashley is a fintech and privacy Partner within the Data Group of the Firm's Innovation Department. He advises on financial regulation, encryption and export control, data protection, privacy and cyber security matters with an emphasis on Blockchain, virtual currencies, and payment systems.

He advises extensively on the impact of privacy and information security law on cloud services, financial technology, telecommunications and international data transfers and has a particular focus on the intersection of competing laws, which can occur in the context of lawful interception of data, corporate investigations, government investigations or international litigation.

For many years Ashley has advised the online behavioral advertising industry in Europe and has represented that industry in relation to its dealings with the European Commission, the Article 29 Working Party, the European Parliament and various national governments. Ashley is a Ponemon Institute Fellow and for many years has been the Chairman of the Data Protection Forum, the largest independent data protection group in the UK. He regularly speaks at industry and academic conferences.

Opposing 1: Leila Seith Hassan, Chief Data Officer, Digitas
Leila is the Chief Data Officer at Digitas. Her career has spanned several continents, including Australia, the USA, Europe, and currently the UK. She brings extensive experience from roles with multinational corporations such as American Express, Nestlé, GSK, and IBM, in addition to various market-based organisations.

In her role, Leila leads a diverse team that merges traditional data analytics with advanced technologies. This integration fosters innovative, data-driven solutions and transformative outcomes for clients. Additionally, she oversees the strategic deployment of data and AI at Digitas, steering the organisation forward and ensuring both drive impact every day.

Beyond her technological and leadership accomplishments, Leila is a staunch advocate for ethical AI and diversity in STEM fields. Recognised as a thought leader, she significantly influences the dialogue around AI ethics, impacting cultural, business, and societal norms. Her accolades include being named a BIMA 100 Champion for Change and a DATA IQ Top 100 influencer. Leila also chairs the Data & Marketing Association’s Value of Data committee and serves on their AI committee, driving forward the ethical use of data and AI in marketing.

Proposing 2: Ben Gott, UK & Ireland Data and Technology President, Merkle
Ben Gott is the Data and Technology President for dentsu UK&I. His role focuses on driving insights and analytics capabilities across all UK&I Practice areas. He leads a team that is responsible for the implementation, integration and management of clients’ data and technology.

Ben works closely with the Global, EMEA and UK&I teams, Practice CEOs, Client Leaders, and broader product communities, and he collaborates closely with the Innovation leadership team to forward dentsu’s AI strategy.

Ben has worked at Merkle, now dentsu for over 15+, first at Periscopix ahead of its acquisition by Merkle in 2016. Over the past eight years, Ben has held leadership roles at Merkle EMEA and UK&I, most recently as Chief Data and Marketing Technology Officer.

Additionally, to his professional achievements, Ben is a keen supporter of the efforts of Merkle’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, with particular involvement in promoting the Gender and Ethnicity pillars.

Opposition 2: Sanjeevan Bala, group chief data and AI officer, ITV
Sanjeevan Bala is an International Media and Entertainment AI leader who has successfully led transformations across broadcasters to fully leverage the value of Data and AI to drive growth.

He also sits on two international FTSE boards where he provides further leadership on the value creation opportunities from AI. Prior to this he was Group Account Director at Dunnhumby (the company that leveraged Tesco club card data) where he established data driven strategies and customer centric change for clients such as BskyB, eBay, Citibank, Centrica and Sobeys.

Sanjeevan is consistently ranked most influential in Data and AI globally and under his leadership his teams have won numerous awards for Innovation. He also is an active member of the DMA co-chairing the Value of Data Committee and a member of ESG and AI committees.

Join us at the free DMA sponsored Debating Group event to be held in Parliament on 21 May at 5pm by clicking the button below to secure a free place now.