Westminster eForum

This seminar assessed priorities for the UK in maintaining its capacity to deal with the latest developments in cyber security.

It took place in the context of the Government’s draft National Cyber Security Skills Strategy, and with the publication of the NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence Report for 2019, which summarised the work taking place under the NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence Programme - including analysis of the effectiveness of measures taken up to that point, and the latest developments in the threat landscape.

The agenda brought out assessments of the latest state of the cyber security threats facing the UK at the time and how they were being addressed.

In the context of the announcement of £70m of Government funding for a new Digital Security by Design Challenge, sessions examined potential vulnerabilities across key sections of the UK economy and how they were being tackled.

The conference took place following the announcement of the Telecoms Supply Chain Review, which set out government plans to improve security standards and practices in the telecoms sector through greater enforcement of security requirements, and to protect the UK’s national security interests by creating a sustainable and diverse telecoms supply chain.

Delegates also considered emerging issues, including cyber security at the periphery of networks and in IoT devices - with the Government reviewing responses to its consultation on regulatory proposals for consumer IoT security.

Areas for discussion included the extent to which vulnerabilities at the edges of networks constitute a threat to overall network security and the way forward for policy, regulation and industry practice in tackling the issues.

Delegates assessed measures set out in the draft National Cyber Security Skills Strategy, as well as examining progress and considering next steps more broadly around skills and securing a sustainable pipeline of talent.

Discussion took place on workforce diversity, which was a focus of a round of funding for the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund, as well as on the creation of the new UK Cyber Security Council.

Delegates considered key issues around education and training - including skills development; tailored training programmes and priorities for improving cyber-awareness for the wider workforce.

Further sessions discussed how the UK can attract and retain talent, assessing the effectiveness of recruitment and discovery programmes.

This seminar focused on the next steps for developing the AI sector in the UK - with sessions discussing the research, investment, skills and ethical challenges which underpin its development.

The conference assessed the progress of the AI Sector Deal - which set out the Government’s approach to skills, infrastructure, research and finance in the sector. Discussion drew upon the one-year on update from the Government

Delegates considered what has been learnt so far, what more is needed to support the sector, - and the priorities for the Office of Artificial Intelligence and AI Council, which were set up to realise the full potential of AI to the economy as part of the Sector Deal.

Delegates discussed the key priorities for meeting the UK’s AI skills demand including retaining AI graduates, developing a diverse workforce, and upskilling and reskilling the existing workforce.

It follows the skills and talent package announced by the Government in February to support the growth of a world-leading AI sector in the UK - which included plans for new industry-funded AI Masters, and 16 dedicated UK Research and Innovation AI Centres for Doctoral Training at universities.

The UK’s positioning in the global AI sector was also assessed - which included discussion around competitiveness, international collaboration and its place as a world leader.

Following the publication of the White Paper on Regulation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution - which set out plans to create a regulatory system that will support innovation while protecting citizens and the environment - and the AI Readiness Index 2019 - which ranked the UK second globally - delegates discussed what more is needed to support the development and growth of AI across the UK.

This included considerations around the national data infrastructure that is required to enable widespread adoption of AI - such as ‘Data Trusts’, 5G and fibre broadband infrastructure and high performance computing.

This conference followed government investment of £250m into a new National AI Lab for the NHS, and increased funding for the Four Centres of Excellence, both with the aim to improve diagnostics and screening capabilities and improve care delivery.

Attendees discussed priorities for The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation - also set up as part of the sector deal - as it sets its 2 Year Strategy and workplan for 2019/20 - which includes plans for reviews into online targeting and bias in decision-making algorithms. The latest thinking on designing and regulating a fit-for-purpose ethical framework for the use of AI and the data upon which it relies was also considered.

This seminar focused on competition regulation in the digital economy.

It took place as the Government considered its response to the publication of the Furman Review, the Digital Competition Expert Panel set up to consider the way forward for putting the UK’s digital economy - including its range of sectors and service types - on a sustainable long-term footing with respect to competition.

Sessions considered the need, and options, for intervention by regulators and policymakers - and the impact on service providers, social media sites, streaming and content hosting platforms, their partners and customers, and other stakeholders.

Taking place following the publication of the Smart Data Review, which confirmed the Government’s intention to take forward the Furman Review’s recommendation of a new digital markets unit, delegates discussed what remit the unit should have and the approach it should take to promoting competition in the digital economy - as well as its regulatory powers.

Further sessions included discussion on M&A activity in the digital economy, looking at whether a new regulatory approach is required - following the publication of CMA’s Digital Markets Strategy and following a ministerial speech about competition rules which outlined the case for reform so as to prevent potential new forms of consumer harm.

Delegates assessed the extent to which promoting innovation and consumer benefit should be considered by the CMA as factors in whether to accept or reject a merger application - as well as examining the Review’s proposed ‘balance of harms’ consideration, which would allow the CMA to take into account the scale and probability of potential harms resulting from merger cases in making its assessment.

The agenda also looked at the digital advertising market. The discussion took place in the context of the recommendations contained in the Cairncross Review, as well as the CMA’s digital advertising market study. Delegates considered issues around whether that market is overly dominated by a small number of companies and publisher remuneration for advertising displayed next to their content.

Further sessions focused on developing international regulatory collaboration on the question of competition in digital markets. Delegates examined how regulators might work in a more standardised and joined-up fashion across national borders, in order to monitor anti-competitive practices and scrutinise cross-border mergers.

This seminar discussed the next steps for telecoms infrastructure in the UK - looking at key issues around competition, network investment and achieving full fibre coverage.

The conference examined priorities for future investment in telecoms infrastructure and followed the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review and interim government response to the NIC’s National Infrastructure Assessment, which set out priorities for the development of the UK’s digital infrastructure including full fibre and 5G rollout.

Policymakers and industry stakeholders assessed the progress towards fulfilling the Universal Service Obligation - including the impact of programmes such as the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme and Local Full Fibre Networks Challenge Fund - and key issues for competition policy, the structure of the telecommunications market and enhancing consumer experience.

Sessions further examined the future for the regulatory framework - following the public consultation on the Statement of Strategic Priorities for Ofcom, and as Ofcom outlined its Annual Plan for 2019/20. Delegates also considered what more might be needed to encourage long-term investment, reduce deployment costs and increase the extent of infrastructure sharing across the sector.

This conference discussed a range of new government policy initiatives aimed at harnessing technological innovation to drive social change for good - and examined the implications for charities, social enterprises and the private sector.

In the context of aspirations set out in the Civil Society Strategy, discussion took place on ways in which charities and social enterprises can better engage with, and make use of, digital technology, as well as priorities for supporting social tech start-ups and scale-ups.

The agenda brought out latest thinking on the potential impact that new technologies can have on tackling complex social issues - looking at case studies from the UK and abroad of the deployment of advanced tech for good causes, examining outcomes and assessing the way forward.

There was also discussion on the scope for involvement of private business - as well as ways in which it can be made easier for ventures in the social tech sector to bid for and win contracts in the public sector.

Delegates considered how best to promote continued innovation in social tech organisations, and what more needs to be done to ensure they have sufficient access to finance, investment and business development resources, following the announcement of a new fund for social tech ventures supported by the Government and the Social Tech Trust.

There was also further discussion on key priorities for driving and enabling the uptake of technologies such as AI and digital fundraising tools by charities at varying scales - including developing digital skills within third sector organisations, promoting good governance and best practice in data handling, and examining ways in which tech solutions can be matched to charities’ scale and requirements.

This conference considered priorities for developing the Government’s National Data Strategy, looking at recent policy developments in this area in the UK and more widely.

Delegates considered key emerging areas of focus for the Strategy, as well as wider issues around the use of consumer and personal data in the digital economy.

The seminar took place in the context of Government’s overarching policy aim of achieving a balance between support for innovation in data usage and addressing concerns around security, privacy, consent and liability, with further relevant policy developments including the Smart Data Review and the establishment of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.

Discussion examined next steps for developing and putting into place sustainable best practice for businesses, charities and the public sector in the handling and protection of data.

There was also discussion on next steps for driving investment and innovation in data-driven technologies such as AI, as well as the way forward for building public trust and confidence for rolling out these technologies across a range of sectors.