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Kay Firth-Butterfield is the CEO of Good Tech Advisory and is one of the foremost experts in the world on the governance of AI. She is a Barrister, former Judge and Professor, technologist and entrepreneur who has an abiding interest in how humanity can equitably benefit from new technologies, especially AI. Kay is an Associate Barrister (Doughty Street Chambers), Master of the Inner Temple, London and served on the Lord Chief Justice’s Advisory Panel on AI and Law. She co-founded the Responsible AI Institute and was the world’s first Chief AI Ethics officer in 2014. Kay is Vice-Chair of The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems and was part of the group which met at Asilomar to create the Asilomar AI Ethical Principles. She is on the Polaris Council for the Government Accountability Office (USA), the Advisory Board for UNESCO International Research Centre on AI, the Board of EarthSpecies.org and AI4All. 

Kay has advanced degrees in Law and International Relations and regularly speaks to international audiences addressing many aspects of the beneficial and challenging technical, economic and social changes arising from the use of AI. She has been consistently recognized as a leading woman in AI since 2018 and was featured in the New York Times as one of 10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership. 

In 2024, Kay was awarded The Time100 Impact Award for her work on responsible AI governance.

Publications

Film/Radio/News

  • “This is a teaching moment for Artificial Intelligence”, The National, UAE.16 October 2019 (access here)

  • “Facial Recognition Technology”’ CNN Money (TV), October 2019

  • “Ethical AI: Why Governments are a worried lot”, Business Today, October 2019 (access here)

  • China.org – Widespread public concern over AI use, regulation needed: Poll (access here)

  • European Sting – These Three Charts show what people actually think about Artificial Intelligence (access here)

  • Eurasia News – Public Concern around Use of Artificial Intelligence is Widespread Poll Finds (access here)

  • MIT Technology Review – The World Economic Forum wants to develop global rules for AI (access here)

  • The Human Show, May 2019

  • Law360 - Granting AI Legal Personhood would be Premature (access here)

  • Telegraph – USA faces first ban on ‘inhumane’ facial recognition technology. Should UK follow suit? (access here)

  • AI4Good Foundation, podcast recorded April 2019

  • Venturebeat – How to protect human rights without stifling innovation (2019) (access here)

  • Devex – Taking the conversation on ethics and technology beyond silicon valley (2019) (access here)

  • Business Insider Panel on Facial Recognition, Davos19 with Brad Smith et al (access here)

  • AMEinfo @ Davos19 (access here)

  • Innovator News – Designing an AI Policy (2019) (access here)

  • Financial Times – How to empower leadership in the use of AI (2019) (access here)

  • Forbes, in article by Noel Sharkey “Gender Diversity is urgently needed say prominent women in Technology” (access here)

  • CNBC News – September 2018 (access here)

  • The World Today, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, interview

  • Socially Responsible AI Development, Thompson Reuters (part of their series on emerging technology) (access here)

  • Forthcoming- series of articles for CNN on what business needs to understand about AI

  • 12 Brilliant Women to Follow in AI Ethics – August 2018 (access here)

  • Busness Insider – August 2018 (access here)

  • GeekWire – April 2018 (access here)

  • TrailBlazers (access here)

  • Otago Daily News – February 2018

  • Innovator News (Davos Edition) – January 2018 (access here)

  • Agenda, World Economic Forum January 2018 (access here)

  • New China TV - (access here)

  • The Economist Radio (Babbage)  - January 2018

  • Consultant on screenplay for TV series about AI and Law - ongoing

  • XPrize/Popular Science short film – recorded March 2017

  • France 24 – recorded March 2017

  • CBC Interview – recorded March 2017

  • NBC Interview – recorded during SXSW 2017

  • CXO Radio – November 2016

Speeches on AI, Law and related topics

  • “WIRED Smarter” October 2019 (access here)

  • Ethical Dilemmas, Digital Identity in modern society, Open Innovations, Moscow, October 2019 (access here)

  • “AI and the Indian Economy”, India Economic Summit, Delhi, October 2019

  • AI and the Procurement of Technology, CogX, London June 2019

  • “The future of AI for media: Getting the ethics and policy right.” The Future of Media, May 2019 (access here)

  • AI National Plans, State Funding and Geopolitical Implications”, Bootstrap Labs, April 2019 (access here)

  • “A European Vision of AI meets Silicon Valley, Open Austria, April 2019 (access here)

  • “Empowering AI Leadership”, World Economic Forum, Davos. January 2019

  • “How scientists should approach the social impacts of AI”, Japanese Science and Technology Institute, November 2018

  • “The need to a AI national Strategy” – INGSA, November 2018

  • “AI Governance” – Japanese Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, November 2018

  • “Women in Technology, diversity and inclusion” Cognite, Austin, October 2018

  • “Realizing the Transformative Potential of AI: the Role of Governance” Keynote at World Summit on AI, Amsterdam, October 2018 (access here)

  • “Creating a Global Governance Mechanism for AI” WEF Annual Meeting of New Champions, September 2018

  • “Board AI Toolkit Session” WEF Annual Meeting of New Champions, September 2018

  • “The importance of Pro Bono legal practice and emerging technology”, Tech Today, Baker McKenzie, Santa Clara (September 2018)

  • “Building Ethical AI”, Global Summit, Singularity University, San Francisco (August 2018) (access here)

  • “China/US developments in AI” China/US AI Summit, Panel discussion, San Francisco (June 2018)

  • “Mechanisms of AI Governance” CogX, London (June 2018) (access here)

  • Fireside chat on AI ethics, Softbank Lounge, CogX, London (June 2018) (access here)

  • Fireside chat on Re-Imagining the Regulator with Rwandan Regulator, Ethics Stage, CogX, London (June 2018) (access here)

  • Panel discussion on AI and Democracy, Accenture Pavilion, CogX, London (June 2018)

  • Global AI Governance, Evidence to All Party Parliamentary Group on AI, London (June 2018)

  • “China and AI”, World Intelligence Congress, Tianjin, China (May 2018)

  • “Agile Governance of AI”, San Francisco (April 2018)

  • “Regulation and Governance of AI” K&L Gates Conference at Carnegie Mellon University, April 2018

  • Artificial Intelligence and dangers to International Law and Security, St. Edward’s University, Austin, March 2018

  • “Generation AI”, Davos (January 2018)

  • “Agile Governance for Emerging technology”, Davos (January, 2018)

  • “Can smart contracts help to combat Human Trafficking?”, London (January 2018)

  • “AI a guide for Congress” Bi-lateral AI Caucus, Washington DC (November 2017)

  • “The World Economic Forum’s work on AI and agile governance” – Inner Temple, London (November 2017)

  • “How to prepare for the impact of AI on business and society - setting standards for AI” -  World Summit on AI, Amsterdam (October 2017)

  • “Trust in the Digital Age”, Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, (July, 2017)

  • Evidence giving on “Law and Standards” – APPG on AI, (July 2017)

  • “AI and the Law Library”, Austin (July 2017)

  • “Designing an international legal paradigm for AI”, Max Planck Institute (June 2017)

  • IEEE Industry Connection Global Initiative on Ethical Considerations in the Design of Autonomous Systems – Austin (June 2017)

  • “Legal Liability for Self driving Cars and other tortious matters”,  an evening co-hosted with Lord Hughes at Inner Temple, London (May)

  •  “AI and Social Good – Human Trafficking”, Leverhulme Grant, University of Exeter (May 2017)

  • “Impact of AI on Business”, San Francisco April 2017

  • SXSW Panel – “Tech in the Next Four Years” – March 2017

  • SXSW Panel – “AI and VR” – March 2017

  • SXSW Panel – “AI, Ethics and the Law”, Austin – March 2017

  • SXSW Speech to Handelsblatt and German CEOs – Austin – March 2017

  • 9 March – AI-Global Austin Reception – launch

  • “IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence, a Vision for Prioritizing Human Wellbeing with Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems”, ARSO Conference, Austin, Tx March 2017

  • AI and the Law, George Washington University, March 2017

  • Council for European Policy Studies, Brussels, February 2017

  •  “AI and the Law – an evening with Lord Hughes and Kay Firth-Butterfield”, Inner Temple, London (February 2017)

  • “AI for Journalists”, UN AI Centre and the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, February 2016

  • Sackler Foundation, Joint Meeting Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences machine learning meeting, (January 2017)

  • “AI and Ethics” Panel, Future of Life Institute, Asilomar Conference, January 2016 (access here)

  •  “Machine Learning and the Law”, NIPS Conference, Barcelona December 2016

  • “Privacy, Security and Ethical Dimensions of ICTs”, IGF – Guadalajara, December 2016

  •  IEEE Summit on “Artificial Intelligence – Who does the thinking?” – Brussels, November 2016

  • “Ethics Law and AI”, Intel, IOT Solutions Congress, Barcelona, October 2016

  • “Future of AI” Panel, Future of Advocacy, London, October 2016

  • IEEE Global Initiative on Ethical Considerations in the Design of AI and Autonomous Systems – The Hague (August 2016)

  • Royal Society/British Academy – July 2016; included two days of Masterclasses on governance and AI. Speech included in “Connecting the debates on governance of data and its uses”. Published by Royal Society and British Academy, 9 December 2016

  • “Ethical and Legal Dilemmas in AI” IJCAI – July 2016

  • “Creating an AI Ethics Advisory Panel”, Governance in Emerging Technologies Conference, Arizona State University – May 2016

  • “Using AI to catch human traffickers”, Slave Free City Summit, Austin – April 2016

  • “Self-driving cars and other Robots” CTX Futurists – April 2016

  • “Ethics and Law of AI” World 50 – CISO gathering – March 2016.

  • “How AI will change the financial world”, Future of Finance Conference, Said Business School, University of Oxford, UK Book can be downloaded here (access here)

  •  “Supply Chain Transparency, using AI to support the Modern Slavery Act 2015”, Home Office Modern Slavery Unit, London, UK

  • Pre-Inaugural Speech for the Centre for the Future of Intelligence and Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, UK “Developing an Ethics Advisory Panel”, January 2016 (access here)

  • Panel discussion – ‘Navigating AI through the 21st Century’ - at the Wilberforce Society’s 2016 Conference, University of Cambridge

  • Judge Business School – for Christoph Loch and Dr. Ilyas Khan (Cambridge Quantum Computing Ltd), taught a MPhil class on business ethics with a focus on AI.

  • “Creating an AI Ethics Advisory Panel”, CTX Futurists – October 2015

  • “The World’s first AI Ethics Advisory Panel we can discuss”, London Futurists – August 2015

Publications and articles

  • “Implementing Ethics into Artificial Intelligence” – Duke Law and Technology Review  - A contribution, from a legal perspective, to the development of an AI governance regime.” with Axel Walz (access here)

  • “Creating a National AI Strategy”, World Economic Forum, 2019

  • “AI Governance: A Holistic Approach to Implement Ethics into AI” 2019 World Economic Forum. (access here)

  • WIPO Technology Trends 2019: Artificial Intelligence (Contributor) (access here)

  • CFO TechOutlook – The Ethical Use of AI in Hiring and Recruitment (access here)

  • “AI collides with Patent Law” 2018 World Economic Forum (access here)

  • AI and the legal profession, Inner Temple Yearbook 2017

  • AI issue of the SciTech Lawyer, Fall 2017 https://www.americanbar.org/groups/science_technology/publications/scitech_lawyer/2017/fall/artificial-intelligence-and-law.html

  • Book Chapter on blockchain, AI and cryptocurrencies for “Banks and Financial Crime - The International Law of Tainted Money”. Eds. T.D. Grant, Mr. Justice B. Blair, R. Brent, OUP 2017

  • AI can win at poker: but as computers get smarter, who keeps tabs on their ethics? Observer, 4 February 2017 (access here)

  • “How IEEE Aims to Instill Ethics in Artificial Intelligence Design”, The Institute,  IEEE, 19 January 2017. (access here)

  • Chapter: The benefits of digital democracy in Envisioning Politics 2.0; with Walter Burrough. Ed. David W Wood and Alexander J. Karran (Transpolitica)

Advice/Thought Leadership 

  • Lord Chief Justice, England and Wales, AI in the legal system, 2019

  • Cabinet Secretary’s Office, UK: January 2016 (access here)

  • Royal Society – January 2016

  • Future of Advocacy – February 2016 (Report)

  • White House consultation on “Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence”: April, May, June 2016 (meetings at Washington, New York and Stanford). (access here)

  • Hastings Center/Yale University – April 2016

  • US Dept. of State (AI and IR – Oct 2016) ongoing

  • Royal Society, series of Masterclasses July 2016

  • Vice-Chair IEEE Industry Connection Global Initiative on Ethical Considerations in the Design of Autonomous Systems: December 2015 to date. First Report due 13 December 2016 “Ethical Considerations in AI and Autonomous Systems”

  • Conversations on AI with Members of the European Parliament, 16 November 2016

  • Royal Society of Engineers, London, 18 November 2016

  • Tata Communications Moonwalk – “AI and Healthcare for the Elderly” December 2016

  • Asilomar Conference – Beneficial AI – Future of Intelligence, 5-8 January 2017

  • US National Academy of Sciences and UK Royal Society jointly sponsored Raymond and Beverly Sackler US-UK Scientific Forum on machine learning, Washington 31 Jan/1 Feb 2017

  • Advice to EU on legal personhood of robots – April 2017

  • AI Now – July 2017

  • Global Futures Council Meeting, World Economic Forum, Dubai, November 2017

  • Annual Meeting, World Economic Forum, January 2018, Davos, Switzerland

  • Annual Meeting of New Champions, World Economic Forum, September 2018, Tianjin, China