UK: Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy opened the inaugural meeting of the AI Advisory Council which has been established by strategic rail innovation body GBRX to provide expertise in safety, ethics, infrastructure, data and people to support the use of artificial intelligence within the complex and safety-critical rail environment.
‘Artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time’, said GBRX Managing Director Toufic Machnouk on September 26. ’It will change our lives in more ways than we can understand now. With billions invested by technology companies, commoditised AI will become more prevalent, but the application of industrial AI, particularly in safety critical environments, is not inevitable and requires considered, strategic and purposeful action to advance its application and value. With a significant demographic transition ahead, this will play a major part in how we create more sustainable skills for the future.’
GBRX is leading the development of an AI Action Plan for Rail, which is due to be published later this year. This will set out and implement the actions and capabilities required for AI to be applied across the sector in safety-critical environments.
All-female team
The AI Advisory Council includes Dr Catriona Campbell, Partner & AI Client Strategy Leader at EY; Dr Laura Gilbert, Senior Director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute; Professor Shannon Vallor, Baillie Gifford Chair in Ethics of Data & AI, University of Edinburgh; Dr Neda Naghshbandi, Technical Lead for Intelligent Infrastructure at AtkinsRéalis; and Helen Milner, Group Chief Executive at the Good Things Foundation.
‘I look forward to seeing this exceptional all-female team of experts break down barriers and help us address the biggest challenges ahead as we embrace this new era’, said Hendy.
