Industry Leaders Converge: Insights from the AI TIC Summit

28 March 2024

NQA's Managing Director, Laura Fletcher, had the privilege of attending the Artificial Intelligence TIC Summit on Wednesday 27th March 2024 that was jointly organised by UKAS and the TIC Council.

NQA's Managing Director, Laura Fletcher, recently attended the Artificial Intelligence TIC Summit jointly organised by UKAS and the TIC COuncil. Held on Wednesday 27th MArch 2024, this summit brought together industry leaders to discuss the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on the Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) sector.

Hosted at mansion Houses by Lord Mayor of the City of London Corporation, Michael Mainelli, the event marked a significant milestone for the TIC industry in recognising the importance of AI and the crucial role the TIC industry plays in ensuring governance and responsible adoption of AI technologies.

Opening the summit, the Rt. Hon. Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Professor Mainelli stated that "AI will have a transformative effect on the way we all do things" and the UK is in a "prime position" to lead the global dialogue on AI. Highlighting that the UK AI Market has the potential to be worth $1 trillion by 2035. Mainelli underscored the significance of the AI summit, not only for exploring the promise of AI but also for examining the role of robust regulation and standards to "ensure appropriate reliance on AI solutions."

The AI TIC Summit went on to explore the challenges of ethically governing the fast development and embedment of AI systems and solutions, while also spotlighting the opportunities it brings to the stakeholders not only within the global quality infrastructure but also across businesses and wider communities. Attended by most leaders and key stakeholders across the TIC industry, along with representatives from various government departments and ministries the event lived up to the prestigious building it was hosted within.

The event stressed the critical importance of AI adoption and underscored the imperative for enhanced attention to its governance and integration across sectors. During the closing remarks, Director General Hanane Taidi of the TIC Council captured the essence of this commitment, stating, "We stand on the brink of a transformative revolution. It is our moral responsibility as the quality infrastructure ecosystem to share our expertise and collaborate to ensure the safe and secure deployment of this technological revolution." Taidi's words resonated with attendees, reflecting a shared dedication to navigating the evolving AI landscape with responsibility and integrity.

Matt Gantley, CEO of UKAS, emphasised that while AI is set to play a "major role in all aspects of our daily lives", businesses and society are still cautious of AI, therefore "global infrastructures are intrinsic to generating the necessary confidence that AI products are being developed safely, ethically and transparently."

Reflecting on the event, Laura Fletcher commented "The AI TIC Summit was a fantastic event that really pulled the global TIC industry together. It is critical that we collaborate in a horizontal nature across our industry to ensure a consistent and ethical governance structure is in place to support our clients and society. Ensuring a sustainable framework is embedded from the outset, is fundamental to ensuring we (the TIC industry) maintain the trust, respect and integrity that is required of us by wider industries during this new transformative era. Many thanks go to UKAS and the TIC Council for embarking us on this journey."

As the summit concluded, it left a clear message: concerted efforts across industries are essential to navigating the complexities of AI governance and fostering a future of innovation with integrity, where the TIC sector will play a crucial role.

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