Technical Keynote Lecture
Professor Tom Crick
Responsible, Citizen-Centred AI: Infrastructure, Trust, and the Good Digital Society
Abstract
Artificial intelligence is no longer simply a technical research story. It is now also a question of infrastructure, institutions, geopolitics, public trust, and how these technologies are embedded in everyday social, cultural, and economic life. As AI systems move from laboratory and prototype into widespread deployment, the central challenge is not only what they can do, but how they are governed, implemented, and aligned with public value.
This talk will explore what responsible, citizen-centred AI means in practice, drawing on perspectives from policy, research, and real-world deployment across the sectors and institutions that shape digital and civic life. It will consider how questions of trust, accountability, inclusion, resilience, and institutional readiness are becoming central to the next phase of AI adoption, and why these matter not only for governments and regulators, but for the wider AI community. The argument is that building a good digital society now requires us to think about AI not just as capability, but as socio-technical infrastructure.
Professor Tom Crick MBE is Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where he provides independent scientific and technical advice to ministers and senior officials across a wide portfolio spanning AI, digital technologies, research and evidence infrastructure, media, culture, and the creative industries. He is also Professor of Digital Society and Policy at the University of Bristol.
His work focuses on computing, AI, digital policy, public value, and the role of technology in shaping institutions and society. He has held a number of senior academic, professional, and non-executive roles, and has published widely across these areas.
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AI-2026 Forty-sixth SGAI International Conference on Artificial Intelligence
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND 15-17 DECEMBER 2026
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paper submission and info for authors |
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