IxDF Southampton

AI Ethics and Professional Responsibility

With Blay Whitby, author of AI: A handbook of professionalism.

Is it acceptable to move fast and break things with AI? Or should ethics play a key role in AI and the IT industry?

Who truly benefits — and what role does professional ethics play for the people who design and build AI?

The current focus on the ethics of AI seems to revolve around governments, legislation, and international agreements. What is left out of these debates is the professional ethics of the people who design and build AI. Historically, the IT industry has not been characterised by high standards of professional ethics. The current AI boom seems to have inherited the 'move fast and break things' ethos. Is this acceptable? Does being professional imply rather higher standards? How possible would higher ethical standards for building AI be in the real world?

Event details

Date: Wednesday 11th March 2026
Time: 19.30 - 20.30h (UTC)

Blay brings a unique perspective:

📊 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), The Social Implications of Artificial Intelligence - Middlesex University

📚 Published: Automating medicine, the ethical way, Do you want a robot lover?, Oversold, unregulated, and unethical: Why we need to respond to robot nannies, On Computable Morality, and Sometimes it’s hard to be a robot.

🏛️ Ethics expert for the European Commission

If you want to better understand the ethics of AI — and enjoy a fresh, memorable way of understanding the forces shaping our work — this talk is for you.

👉 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 to rethink what ethics are behind the AI wave and your part in it: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ai-ethics-and-professional-responsibility-tickets-1982658073670?aff=oddtdtcreator