The will of the people? Science and innovation in a post-truth world 29 November 2017 2 3 Chapters Today, the Huxley Summit will bring together business leaders, scientists, senior Contents Agenda policy-makers and opinion-formers to discuss the challenges of creating innovations that are accepted and trusted by the public. We will look at how learnings from the Page 2 Agenda 11.00 Registration and GM crisis should inform companies, institutions, government, and public responses. networking The Summit will also look at how these learnings can be applied to the current Page 3 Chapters challenge of data ethics and explore the impact of artificial intelligence on society. There will be provocations and debates, plus time for networking and focussed 12.00 Chapter 1: Learning from discussions about how we navigate the future. Page 4 Welcome the past - what can society learn from GM? Page 7 The will of the people? Chapter 1: Science and innovation 13.20 Roundtable discussions Learning from the past - what can society learn from GM? in a post-truth world and lunch Despite a huge amount of scientific research into GM crops and their impact on Page 10 Advisory board human health and the environment, the public remain resistant to their widespread 14.50 Chapter 2: Current introduction to agriculture and industry. What learnings can be gleaned from this story? And what does this mean for the public, business leaders, scientists and policy- Page 11 Building a challenges - the data makers in relation to new technologies and scientific advances in the future? better world explosion and the commercial imperative Page 12 Speakers Chapter 2: 16.10 Coffee and networking Current challenges - the data explosion and the commercial Page 16 Sponsors and partners imperative 16.50 Chapter 3: Future Just over 10 years since the phrase ‘data is the new oil’ was coined, the new oil rush is Page 17 Attendees challenges - preparing for gaining momentum. Enabled by the exponential growth of data and AI capabilities artificial intelligence we are seeing the creation of markets, business models and data assets as a source of unique commercial value. 18.30 Drinks reception However, these opportunities can come with ethical risks, and misjudging the use of data in business or policy could lead to long-term reputational damage and stakeholder mistrust. What opportunities are there for organisations and society to gain extra value from data? What role does compliance play in safeguarding consumer and stakeholder trust? How will decisions organisations make today impact future technologies that utilise data? We encourage attendees to use Chapter 3: Twitter during the Summit, and we recommend you use the hashtag Future challenges - preparing for artificial intelligence #HuxleySummit to follow the How does society overcome the challenges of the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ and a conversation. potential breakdown of trust in technology from the public? New technologies – such as AI, driverless cars and gene editing – are challenging the relationship between the A film crew and photographer will be present at public and the physical, digital and biological worlds. the Huxley Summit. If you do not wish to be filmed or photographed, please speak to a member of the All content and information correct at the time team at the British Science Association. of going to print. 4 55 Welcome Rt Hon. the Lord David Willetts Chair of the British Science Association Welcome to the British Science As the UK prepares to leave the EU, Association’s 2017 Huxley Summit. how can we ensure the UK is a leading After a successful pilot event last force in creating innovative solutions year, we are pleased to once again be to the 21st century challenges the bringing together business leaders, world faces, such as developing ethical policy makers and scientists to discuss A.I, harnessing the power of big data, and debate some key issues facing combatting the spread of microbial science and society. diseases and tackling climate change? Today’s event will explore the public’s The British Science Association’s view relationship with emerging technologies; is that only when we take a step back the role that societal acceptance plays in and look at the bigger picture, and have the success of cutting-edge innovation. discussions at a broad, strategic level – involving representatives from within We are delighted to once again have a and, crucially, beyond science – will we stellar line up of speakers for today. The be able to create a successful future for Huxley Summit is as much about your the UK where research and innovation contribution as it is about our speakers. thrive and where science and its The agenda, we hope, allows plenty of applications are understood and owned time for you to have your say – both via by society. the Q&A sessions that conclude each of our three ‘Chapters’ and over roundtable I would like to thank our sponsors and discussions at lunch – and network with supporters – EY, Diageo, SCI, the London fellow attendees, during the breaks and Chamber of Commerce and Industry at this evening’s drinks reception. – and our partner and host, the Royal Institution. I would also like to thank The Summit’s speakers and attendees you all for coming. I hope you enjoy this deliberately represent a broad range event and together we can come up of industries and sectors, but we all with some solutions to the challenges have something in common. We are all of engaging with and responding to interested, in some shape or form, in the attitudes to technological change. interface between innovation, regulation, and public opinion. Karen Blackett OBE, Chairwoman of MediaCom UK, speaking at the Huxley Summit 2016 6 The will of the people? 7 Science and innovation in a post-truth world Katherine Mathieson Chief Executive of the British Science Association Last year, on the eve of the US Presidential election, the British Science Association’s inaugural Huxley Summit discussed and debated the role of trust in the 21st century. We wanted to know: do we really not trust experts anymore? We delved into topics as diverse as why the public are happy to hand over their credit card details on the internet, but stopped short of feeling comfortable about ID cards; how our memories can trick us and what we can do to tackle our own biases before they affect our work; and how to not only win the trust of your customers, but then to keep it. This year, with the UK Government in the As we approach the end of 2017, looking midst of Brexit negotiations, our theme back on a year that has shone a light on focuses on how to ensure that the UK huge divisions in societies all across the can continue to be a leader in science globe, I wonder what we can learn to and innovation, while being mindful of help move us forward? Trust, acceptance the public’s concerns about emerging and consensus all go hand in hand. technologies. Technology advances. Our lives change. Trump and Brexit are frequently We weave in new ideas and surrender explained in political discourse as a result old ones. It’s human nature to continue of “the will of the people” despite being tirelessly with discovery and innovation, hugely divisive - with one not winning the but the stakes are high, and many of the popular vote, and the other just shading consequences are unforeseeable. it by a few percentage points, Politics is not alone in this regard. In business, customers vote with their feet. And science is not immune to dividing public opinion. Ed Williams, CEO of Edelman UK and Ireland, speaking at the Huxley Summit 2016 8 The will of the people? 9 Science and innovation in a post-truth world Consider how vaccinations have stopped of the public, or how small businesses While the debate over GM crops is no terrifying Terminator franchise to the diseases in their tracks, and the positive would keep up with the fast pace of longer top of the agenda, we’re now on introspective and claustrophobic Ex impact this has had on global health, the technological advances. Public the cusp of an AI and data revolution. They Machina. or how computers have connected and pressure culminated in the EU issuing a will be transformational for a wide range educated us beyond imagination, or how moratorium on the growth and sale of GM of sectors, and we need to tread carefully. Unacceptable and unintended problems air travel has accelerated our efforts to foods at the time. Not only did the sudden These emerging technologies draw many are already emerging in real life: Flickr explore and trade. But also consider how, change halt any potential benefits, it parallels with GM crops. They are largely and Google came under criticism after decades of use, we realised the lethal also absorbed a great deal of research, developed or controlled by small and after pictures of black people in their effects of asbestos, or how diesel engines commercial and civic society resource. homogeneous groups of people, often photo apps were labelled as “apes” and are polluting our cities and shortening within commercial settings where the “gorillas”. Microsoft’s AI Twitter chatbot, thousands of lives. Take antibiotics, for regulation framework is still being shaped. Tay, which learnt through interaction example: they have saved millions, but For some, these new technologies carry an with users, was shut down after only the rise of antimicrobial resistance will be, uneasy sense that the genie has already 24 hours when a user community according to Paul Cosford at Public Health Technological and scientific been released from the bottle, and can’t taught it to be racist.