The Big AI Tech Debate – Insights and Implications

“I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes,” the author, Joanna Maciejewska recently shared on social media.

It’s a sentiment that reflects the broader discussion around the role of AI in our lives – and one that was central to Cambridge Wireless’ Big AI Tech Debate held at The Bradfield Centre in February.

The speaker panel included Namshik Han, Principal Investigator at University of Cambridge, Co-founder and CTO of CardiaTec Bio & Co-founder of KURE.ai, Raj Jena, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the University of Cambridge, Dr Zoë Webster, David Wood, co-founder of Symbian and now a full-time futurist speaker, analyst, commentator and writer, and Julian Huppert.

Former MP, Julian Huppert, now Director of the Intellectual Forum at Jesus College, Cambridge, chaired the discussion, exploring with a packed auditorium whether the positives of AI outweigh the growing negatives.

An interesting response came from ChatGPT itself: “AI is like fire – when controlled, it can warm our homes and cook our food; uncontrolled, it can destroy everything in its path.”

The debate emphasised the importance of high-quality data and governance to ensure AI benefits society and to address challenges such as bias and explainability.

The speakers reflected on how technology has been misused historically, and emphasised the risks if AI fell into the wrong hands. ‘A fool with a tool is still a fool’ being a clear message.

Given AI’s rapid advancement, the panel highlighted the urgent need to mitigate risks while maximising AI’s potential as a tool to solve complex problems.

The thought-provoking debate proved a catalyst for deeper discussions as was evidenced by the spirited networking session that followed.

Peter Whale, CEO of Vision Formers and one of the CW SIG Champions behind the event, said:

“We organised this debate at a time when AI is dominating the headlines - it is important to be exploring AI’s real impact with greater depth and nuance. Our excellent debating panel, drawn from a diverse range of disciplines, provided fresh perspectives and plenty of food for thought. This continues to be an important topic judging by the number of people who attended the debate, and the many conversations that it sparked afterwards.”

Meanwhile, the UK government has pledged to build on the country’s strengths in AI, setting out an ambitious roadmap with an AI Opportunities Action Plan to drive economic growth and improve public services.

As part of this effort, the government has consulted with stakeholders on the issue of AI and copyright law – and it’s one that has certainly resonated with newspaper chiefs.

This week, the subject quite literally made the front pages when national and regional newspapers came together to launch their coordinated ‘Make it Fair’ campaign – hitting out at the government’s consultation around possible exemptions being added to copyright law for training AI models. The proposals would allow tech firms to use copyrighted material from creatives and publishers without having to pay for a licence or reimburse creatives for using their work. Making a stand, national newspapers - including The Times, Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star and some regional titles – featured special protest wraps around their front pages on Tuesday.

This unprecedented media collaboration reinforces the urgency of addressing AI’s role in shaping industries, governance, and society at large.

For those interested in continuing the conversation and staying informed about the latest developments in AI, Cambridge Wireless Ltd is running a series of AI-related events throughout the year. Keep an eye on the CW website for upcoming SIG events and the CW International Conference (CWIC), both key opportunities to engage with industry leaders and explore the future of AI.

The current AI SIG Champions include: Parminder Kaur Lally Darendra Appanah Maria Luciana A., Phil Claridge, Simon Thompson, Vidhya Sridhar and Peter Whale.