Sue Turner, Founding Director of AIGovernance.co.uk charts the rise and importance of Responsible AI professionals.
The Responsible AI Summit, which I’ve attended since 2023, has grown from a small gathering of less than 100 people into a global event. What started out as a fringe notion for turning AI ethics into business language is now coming together as a full-blown Responsible AI (RAI) profession.
For HR leaders, trying to define clearly what skills and qualifications are needed could feel like an annoying burden. But I’m seeing RAI professionals as important allies for HR leaders, providing ammunition for why the whole gamut of policies and practices that support people are not ‘woke nonsense’ but actually vital for business success.
This year some companies that had embraced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles are facing significant pressure to scale back these initiatives. We’re seeing some organisations quietly remove ESG from their communications – Currys recently scrapped their Board level ESG Committee – whilst others are scaling back DEI programs in response to the US administration’s changed remit.
If you are concerned that this is a retrograde step, seek out RAI professionals to collaborate with. They can provide the necessary data and assurance to demonstrate why these initiatives are not just ‘feel-good’ exercises, but critical to identifying and reducing risks associated with AI use.
Expertise on tap
By cultivating a strong RAI function the HR department will also benefit from having expertise on tap as you increasingly rely on AI tools to save your team time, reduce human bias in hiring, and improve the overall candidate experience. Your RAI professional can help evaluate and ensure that your AI-powered recruitment tools, for example, are genuinely fair and transparent, rather than reinforcing existing biases. This strengthens the integrity of your HR processes and boosts employee trust in the organisation’s commitment to fairness. This is a pragmatic, business-critical approach.
But who are these RAI folk? It’s a melting pot of backgrounds – from law to computer science, social sciences to data science. This diversity is a major strength, bringing different perspectives to the complex challenges of ethical AI implementation. However, it also means there are no clear career paths or standardised training yet. It’s a bit like data protection was 20 years ago. As a profession, RAI is still finding its formal structure and boundaries. This means RAI professionals needs you help because most organisations lack consensus on where RAI functions should sit, what authority they should hold, and how they should interact with development teams. This creates inconsistent implementation and makes accountability difficult to establish.
Formal certifications emerging
The good news is that we are starting to see the development of formal certifications to address these gaps. Bodies like the IAPP and IEEE have created certifications for AI governance and AI ethics. These programmes aim to provide a more structured pathway into the profession by offering training on everything from ethical frameworks to regulatory compliance. Some of these certifications are designed to align with global regulations, including the EU AI Act and the UK’s approach to AI governance.
If you are recruiting people into AI governance-related roles, look for people who can combine technical literacy with strong analytical skills, and the ability to build consensus and influence organisational culture. An RAI professional isn’t just a gatekeeper; they need to be an orchestrator who brings together experts from different departments to ensure AI is used responsibly. You can help them by establishing a clear mandate and a direct reporting line to senior leadership, giving them the authority they need to drive change.
Grow your own
And there aren’t enough people with these skills so you may need to ‘grow your own’ by cultivating talent in-house. Avoid only looking to compliance or IT and instead give opportunities to employees with diverse backgrounds from data science, project management or customer-facing roles, who possess strong skills in influencing colleagues. A critical step is to provide them with structured training programmes and invest in educational pathways that develop both technical and ethical competencies. By allowing employees to take on RAI duties in hybrid roles, you can build a resilient in-house capability and empower individuals to become the orchestrators who bridge the gap between technical teams and ethical principles.
I am certain that, for the UK to become a global leader in AI, we must cultivate a robust RAI professional community. And HR is at the heart of this. By investing in educational pathways and talent pipelines, you’ll be building the human infrastructure that ensures AI development is not only innovative but also aligned with our societal values.
