# AI ASSURANCE : THE STATE OF PLAY

- **Date**: Wednesday 15 June 2022  
- **Time**: 16:00 - 18:00  
- **Location**: BCS 25 Copthall Avenue, London, England, EC2R 7BP, United Kingdom [map](http://maps.google.com/?q=25%20Copthall%20Avenue%20London,%20England,%20EC2R%207BP%20United%20Kingdom)  
- [Google Calendar](http://www.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&text=AI%20ASSURANCE%20%3A%20THE%20STATE%20OF%20PLAY&dates=20220615T150000Z/20220615T170000Z&location=25%20Copthall%20Avenue%2C%20London%2C%20England%2C%20EC2R%207BP%2C%20United%20Kingdom) | [ICS](/content/events/event-five-yjknb?format=ical/index.html)

The AI Assurance Club kicked off last month in London with _AI Assurance: the State of Play_, at which speakers from industry and government discussed the current state of play in AI. Key themes included the importance of a coherent standards landscape, the need to avoid the pitfalls of GDPR, and the value of a global perspective on AI governance.

**Dr Daniel Hulme**, CEO of [Satalia](https://www.satalia.com/) and Chief AI Officer at [WPP](https://www.wpp.com/), started us off with a provocation: definitions of AI are useless. Our attention would be better focused on concrete problems addressed through the prisms of safety, security and governance. **David McNeish** of the UK’s Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) gave a snapshot of the Centre’s current work on AI assurance, including its [Roadmap to an Effective AI Assurance Ecosystem](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-roadmap-to-an-effective-ai-assurance-ecosystem). David emphasised that different stakeholders have varied drivers and barriers to assurance; what matters is applying the right assurance technique at the right time. Turning to Europe, **Nicholas Moës**, a researcher and member of the CEN-CENELEC [Joint Technical Committee on AI](https://www.cencenelec.eu/areas-of-work/cen-cenelec-topics/artificial-intelligence/), walked us through the proposed [AI Act](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/proposal-regulation-laying-down-harmonised-rules-artificial-intelligence). With [thousands of amendments](https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/ai-regulation-filled-with-thousands-of-amendments-in-the-european-parliament/) now tabled by MEPs, key diving lines are emerging. We can be fairly confident, however, that third party conformity assessments for high-risk AI systems will remain in the final text.

As well as academic and policy experts, we got to hear from organisations already providing AI assurance services. **Dr Sara Zannone** of [Holistic AI](https://holisticai.com/) explained their full range of AI assurance services – from general risk assessment to certification and monitoring. Finally, **Ryan Carrier**, Founder and CEO of ForHumanity, presented their community-based [Independent Audit of AI Systems](https://forhumanity.center/independent-audit-of-ai-systems/) programme. ForHumanity is also currently developing a [GDPR certification scheme](https://forhumanity.center/uk-gdpr/) for the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. As both Sara and Ryan’s presentations made apparent, there is growing interest in and demand for AI assurance services.

#### VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights - AI Assurance: the State of Play. London June 15, 2022 - YouTube

[Highlights - AI Assurance: the State of Play. London June 15, 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-11rNQQqpqg)

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