Stephen Almond (ICO): data protection law as a primary tool to ensure AI governance

“There is a UK AI Regulation - It is called the UK GDPR” (John Edwards, February 2024).

Stephen Almond is Executive Director for Regulatory Risk at the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), leading the teams charged with engineering information rights into the fabric of new ideas, technologies and business models as part of our dynamic digital economy, including through the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum.

Prior to joining the ICO, Stephen led a World Economic Forum initiative to promote the adoption of a more agile, innovation-enabling approach to regulation with governments and tech firms worldwide. He previously worked in leadership roles across the UK Government, including creation of the White Paper on Regulation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and roll-out of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund, which invested in regulatory sandboxes and similar initiatives to unlock technological innovation.

References:

• Technology and Innovation Directorate at the ICO
• ICO: Guidance on AI and data protection 
• ICO: Draft Guidance on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) 
• Dragos Tudorache: dealing with foundation models, data protection and copyright in the AI Act (Masters of Privacy)