Which? submission of evidence to the Science and Technology Committee for the governance of artificial intelligence (AI)

Which? welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Science and Technology Committee’s call for evidence for the governance of artificial intelligence (AI). 

AI is already transforming consumers' experiences in a variety of markets, bringing with it positive opportunities including greater choice for products, services and personalisation. Which? welcomes the government's ambitious ten year plan for the UK to remain a global AI superpower as part of the National AI Strategy, and recognises the cross border benefits of a pro-innovation approach to AI. 

However, there are risks of consumer harm associated with the development and proliferation of AI. Of particular concern to Which? is where programme bias enters into decision making and where a lack of transparency could lead to consumers feeling that their privacy has been violated. As the UK’s consumer champion, Which? wants consumers to benefit from AI’s advance, while ensuring their consumer rights are being robustly protected from its current, and potential future risks, of which governance plays a key role. 

We would like to respond to the following two key themes in the call for evidence:

• Making AI transparent and explainable
• Regulatory oversight of AI
  • Current
  • Future

We recommend:

• Ensuring that appropriate cross-sectoral principles, including transparency and explainability, are enforced on a mandatory, not voluntary basis.
• That regulators make clear for both businesses and consumers where to seek redress and which entities are responsible for providing redress.
• That an advisory group of AI experts is set up to work with regulators to provide expert advice and ensure that regulation is harmonised between sectors.