As the heady clamour of this Summer's exam results
algorithm fiasco fades into the darkening evenings of UK Winter,
the recent proposals for an “Accountability for Algorithms
Act” by the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) are
pretty timely, to say the least.
The proposals, supported by an op-ed in The
Times by David Davis MP, aim for “an overarching,
principles-driven approach to put people at the heart of developing
and taking responsibility for AI, ensuring it is designed and used
in the public interest.”1
For observers in the UK this is an interesting development. 2020
has seen a flurry of paperwork on AI regulation and some
interesting debate, particularly from the European
Commission's AI White Paper in February and the subsequent
consultation. But the UK, having bigger fish to fry, has seemed
much less involved.
