As world leaders and tech CEOs loudly debate the need for a “pause” in AI development, advocating for the safety and ethical use of these transformational tools has never been more urgent.
None of this is new to Laura Taddei, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy and Operations for Precognition.
In her current role, previous positions with BenevolentAI and as a founding member of the Responsible AI Future Foundation, Laura hasn’t just been driving the conversation – she has been actively creating and promoting the resources the world needs to shape a more balanced, fair future with AI.
The term “responsible AI” is perhaps overused – and regularly misunderstood. Laura is unequivocal in her belief that it has to be backed up with meaningful action.
“It often comes down to a list of principles. We talk about fairness, transparency and accountability, among others. Those principles are only useful if they actually change decisions.
“We need to build AI in a way that leaves people with more agency, not less. That means asking at every stage: who gains power from this system, who loses it, and who carries the consequences when something goes wrong?”
Responsible AI is an essential precursor for sovereign AI, which is a separate and significant focus for international organisations and NGOs. Sovereign AI is about ensuring nations, organisations and communities retain the ability to make meaningful choices about AI.
If responsible AI asks: “Should we build this – and how?”, then the question at the core of sovereign AI is: “Who gets to decide?”
Decisions that define us
Laura has built a career around supporting governments and businesses to invest in domestic talent, maintain strategic control over critical data and infrastructure, and nurture an open and competitive innovation ecosystem.
“It is important to avoid a future where nations’ critical capabilities, data, public services and democratic discourse are entirely dependent on decisions made elsewhere.”
These are conversations we all need to be having, whether we run a business or represent a community.
Laura explains: “AI will reshape every aspect of society. But we still have agency over how these systems are designed and deployed. That agency will be determined by the decisions we make in terms of governance, incentives, education and accountability.”
Laura is all too aware of the fear narrative around AI. “We’ve all seen how AI can industrialise fraud, misinformation and cybercrime.” But she doesn’t buy the idea that there are only two possible futures. “It’s not a choice of absolute innovation or absolute regulation. It’s about coexistence and balance.”
Technology creates enormous opportunities, but Laura emphasises that institutions must evolve alongside it. “Without responsibility, AI can concentrate power in the hands of a few. And without sovereignty, that concentrated power can become impossible to challenge.”
So, what about those opportunities? Laura points to education and drug discovery as two areas where AI can be a great force multiplier. “A brilliant teacher can now reach millions. A scientist can compress months of research into two days.”
The power of people
Laura is involved in multiple initiatives to establish a better balance, exploring how technology can better reflect the values and concerns of communities. She believes people still have the power to shape the future.
“Technology doesn't have intent. It amplifies the intent of the people who build it and use it. The important question is whether we're building the institutions, incentives and leadership to steer AI in the right direction for the benefit of everyone.”
Laura stresses that organisations need to stop seeing AI as a “bolt-on” technical innovation project and consider it with as much care as they would any part of their core strategy. “Every executive team should understand at least three things: what decision AI is making for them, what data it depends on, and what happens when things actually go wrong.”
We’ve got to harness the excitement around what AI can make possible. “But we've also got to focus on establishing the policies so we can do that in the future.”
The risks of getting this wrong are manifold. “The main risk is we rely on AI so much that we stop exercising our own judgment. We have to remember that AI is supposed to reduce repetitive work, but never replace human creativity and accountability.”
As an agency that champions human imagination alongside technological innovation, we couldn’t agree more.
Striking a balance
In and outside her work, Laura sees mixed attempts by organisations to strike a balance between innovation and ethics – and often the pendulum swings too far in the other direction, stymying progress.
“Balance is key. We should be transparent about how and why we use AI for creative purposes. AI can be a valuable tool that frees us up to enable more creative work, but we also have to consider where creativity needs to remain human.”
Marketers have been experiencing this in miniature for a while now. As one of the first functions to be transformed by generative AI, CMOs can have enormous influence over how their organisations use it. And with this power comes responsibility.
“It isn't simply producing content faster. AI makes it easier than ever to create convincing messages, but only in my view if authenticity becomes more valuable through the use of AI and not less. The organisations that lead won't necessarily be the ones producing more content; it will be the ones people continue believing.”
Before I let Laura go, I have to find out what keeps her optimistic. As always, it comes back to the human element.
“The hardest questions we're trying to solve are still human ones. Personally, I find that encouraging. Human problems have always existed, and they don't have easy answers. But they do have something AI doesn't have, which is the ability to bring together different perspectives to challenge – and potentially change – minds.”
