Tech Tantrums – When Tech Meets Humanity

5Rights Chair and founder Baroness Beeban Kidron delivered a public lecture setting out why the issues around AI must not be left to tech experts and unaccountable corporations.

The event was hosted by the Digital Futures for Children (DFC) joint 5Rights-LSE research centre and was chaired by Professor Sonia Livingstone.

Some key takeaways:

• Industry Resistance: tech companies often resist changes that prioritise user safety and equality but they are not above the law and they should be held accountable.
• Regulatory Pushback: instances like Meta’s response to the Australian News Media Bargaining Code illustrate the sector’s reluctance to adhere to national regulations.
• AI Governance: The need for robust AI governance is clear, yet private companies frequently push back against obligations, under the premise that technology moves too fast. But if this technology can solve society’s problems as these companies claim, then it must abide by the rules we set as a society.
• Corporate Interests vs. Public Good: the OpenAI internal conflicts highlight the ongoing tension between commercial interests and the intended public benefits of technology.