Diving into the AI Abyss: A Comprehensive Review of The Open Event, Hosted by Leading Security Technology Providers

• by Olivia Lawlor-Blackburn
• General

Last week we joined Cortech Developments, Nedap Security Management and Geutebruck UK at their Open Event Forum: Artificial Intelligence the Pros and Cons in an impressive venue, The Francis Crick Institute, London. Our MD, Mike Gillespie was invited to speak at the event alongside Tony Porter, Chief Privacy Officer at Corsight to discuss and debate the pros and cons of the thing everyone is talking about – Artificial Intelligence. 

The specialised event began with a welcome address from Jason Blundell, Cortech Development’s Head of Sales and Marketing followed by breakout sessions early in the day to integrate attendees  so they could introduce themselves to each other and discuss their reasons for attending the event. These early breakout sessions were a great tool to get delegates talking, expressing their opinions and in some cases, their concerns about what AI means for them and their organisation.

Jason explained “The Open Event Forums are a fantastic opportunity for delegates to network with trusted advisors and likeminded professionals and to get around the table and talk about what matters to them. Our job as facilitators for The Open Forum is to provide a place where attends can openly share experiences, learn & discuss key challenges, and understand the latest updates within our industry.”

“I was delighted to be invited to speak at the Open Event on Artificial Intelligence, looking at the opportunities, possibilities and potential pitfalls of adopting and using this exciting technology.  The event was really well attended, the open discussion that kicked the event off was a great way of gauging the level of awareness and hearing what the audience thought, this helped shape the later panel debate.  There are clearly a lot of questions that need answering about this technology, and the discussion ranged from security and privacy to ethics. The energy in the room throughout the day clearly demonstrates how much interest there is in this topic area and I am looking forward to the discussions continuing as the landscape evolves.” said Mike. 

The event offered a forum for all levels of understanding of Artificial Intelligence and allowed for a relaxed but focused conversation to take place about what we really know and understand Artificial Intelligence to be and what we can expect with its rapid expansion, growing adoption and addition to tools we already use. The event was open to and attracted a broad spectrum of attendees – including personnel from healthcare, law enforcement and defence, academia, nuclear, and a number of other industries who have the potential to see Artificial Intelligence be implemented into their working practices in the future if of course, it is not already there. 

Attendee Tim Hemsley MBE, Head of Security Logistics and Waste at The Francis Crick, reflected on the event with the following comment “A fascinating conference, with excellent speakers with up-to-date knowledge and experience. A great opportunity to discuss the future of AI and what it means to us.”