Ali Hessami is currently the Director of R&D and Innovation at Vega Systems, London, UK.  He has an extensive track record in systems assurance and safety, security, sustainability, knowledge assessment/management methodologies. He has a background in the design and development of advanced control systems for business and safety-critical industrial applications.

Hessami represents the UK on the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) & International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) – safety systems, hardware & software standards committees. He was appointed by CENELEC as convener of several Working Groups for review of EN50128 Safety-Critical Software Standard and update and restructuring of the software, hardware, and system safety standards in CENELEC.

Ali is also a member of Cyber Security Standardisation SGA16, SG24, and WG26 Groups and started and chairs the IEEE Special Interest Group in Humanitarian Technologies and the Systems Council Chapters in the UK and Ireland Section. In 2017 Ali joined the IEEE Standards Association (SA), initially as a committee member for the new landmark IEEE 7000 standard focused on “Addressing Ethical Concerns in System Design.” He was subsequently appointed as the Technical Editor and later the Chair of P7000 working group. In November 2018, he was appointed as the VC and Process Architect of the IEEE’s global Ethics Certification Programme for Autonomous & Intelligent Systems (ECPAIS).  

Trish advises and trains organisations internationally on Responsible AI (AI/data ethics, policy, governance), and Corporate Digital Responsibility.

Patricia has 20 years’ experience as a lawyer in data, technology and regulatory/government affairs and is a registered Solicitor in England and Wales, and the Republic of Ireland. She has authored and edited several works on law and regulation, policy, ethics, and AI.

She is an expert advisor on the Ethics Committee to the UK’s Digital Catapult Machine Intelligence Garage working with AI startups, is a Maestro (a title only given to 3 people in the world) and expert advisor “Maestro” on the IEEE’s CertifAIEd (previously known as ECPAIS) ethical certification panel, sits on IEEE’s P7003 (algorithmic bias)/P2247.4 (adaptive instructional systems)/P7010.1 (AI and ESG/UN SDGS) standards programmes, is a ForHumanity Fellow working on Independent Audit of AI Systems, is Chair of the Society for Computers and Law, and is a non-exec director on the Board of iTechlaw and on the Board of Women Leading in AI. Until 2021, Patricia was on the RSA’s online harms advisory panel, whose work contributed to the UK’s Online Safety Bill.

Trish is also a linguist and speaks fluently English, French, and German.

In 2021, Patricia was listed on the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ and named on Computer Weekly’s longlist as one of the Most Influential Women in UK Technology in 2021.

Eleanor ‘Nell’ Watson is an interdisciplinary researcher in emerging technologies such as machine vision and A.I. ethics. She helped to pioneer deep machine vision systems at her startup QuantaCorp. Now, her work primarily focuses on protecting human rights and putting ethics, safety, and the values of the human spirit into technologies such as Artificial Intelligence.

Nell serves as Chair & Vice-Chair respectively of the IEEE’s ECPAIS Transparency Experts Focus Group, and the 7001 Transparency of Autonomous Systems committee on A.I. Ethics & Safety, working to help safeguard algorithmic trust. More recently, as Chari of the IEEE P3152 Working Group, she is leading the development of signs and symbols to help the public understand whether they are dealing with a human or a machine, or some combination.

She also chairs EthicsNet.org , a community teaching prosocial behaviors to machines, CulturalPeace.org, which is crowd-crafting Geneva Conventions-style rules for cultural conflict. Her public speaking has inspired audiences to work towards a brighter future at venues such as The World Bank, The United Nations General Assembly, and The Royal Society.

Nell serves as an Executive Consultant on philosophical matters for Apple, as well as serving as Senior Scientific Advisor to The Future Society, and Senior Fellow to The Atlantic Council. She also holds Fellowships with the British Computing Society and Royal Statistical Society, among others.

Ruth Lewis, Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical), Graduate Diploma Digital Communications, Master of Strategic Foresight Ruth is an experienced strategic IT consultant, qualified futurist and professional engineer based in Melbourne, Australia, having worked across many industries, sectors and technologies with a particular focus on the innovative and ethical use of digital technology in business and in society.