AI Governance Training

As organisations seek to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) for an ever-increasing range of use cases, addressing risks that can lead to harmful outcomes or other unintended consequences has become critical. At Freevacy, we offer a range of independently recognised professional AI governance qualifications and custom learning solutions that enable specialist teams to implement robust oversight, benchmark AI governance maturity, and establish a responsible-by-design approach across the entire AI lifecycle.

The term artificial intelligence (AI) was first coined by a group of scientists attending a research project at Dartmouth College in 1956. While its origins date back further, modern use of the term refers to its re-emergence around 2010 and the combination of massive volumes of data with enormous computing power. Today, AI has evolved into a complex group of technologies that are transforming the way organisations operate to provide economic and consumer benefits. With the ability to perform tasks that traditionally require human input, AI deployments are capable of learning from data, adapting to new situations, and improving their performance over time without being explicitly programmed to do so.

Despite the enormous possibilities for AI to revolutionise how we work and live, challenges addressing risks that can lead to harmful outcomes remain. The difficulties in understanding the complexity of AI technologies and their potential impact result in most AI projects encountering spiralling costs or failing to deploy as projected. If you want independent verification of this, recent research from Gartner indicates that the annual growth of successful implementations between 2019-2024 was only 2-5%. The same study reveals that of the 60% of organisations planning AI deployments, fewer than half are confident they can manage the risks effectively.

The challenges organisations face in addressing the risks posed by AI technologies are set to increase as governments around the world race to put overarching legal frameworks in place. A separate Gartner study into emerging regulatory risks predicts that 50% of global governments will enforce the use of responsible AI through legislation by 2026. Meanwhile, customers and service users expressing concerns about the negative effect AI has on their privacy will require further assurances about the ethical use of the technology to maintain hard-earned consumer trust.

AI GOVERNANCE TRAINING FOR NEW & ESTABLISHED TEAMS

As organisations move from AI experimentation to the core realisation that AI technologies are a strategic priority, the degree to which they master AI-related capabilities depends on the level of AI Governance Maturity (AIGM) they can achieve. 

Attributes of a mature AI governance programme:

• The C-suite is accountable for the AI strategy and fully supports the AI governance programme
• Your data and AI strategies are aligned with business objectives
• A responsible AI culture is embedded within the organisation
• You have implemented an enterprise-wide responsible AI framework 
• You apply a responsible-by-design AI approach consistently across the entire lifecycle of all your AI models
• You routinely monitor emerging AI laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which you operate and prepare for future changes

The most effective AI governance programmes are delivered by diverse teams comprising individuals with varying levels of seniority, skill sets, and backgrounds. In training a new team, it is important to identify a set of required AI governance skills and the extent of any knowledge gaps. Training should focus on achieving a baseline level of skills across the entire team, including how AI technology works, its use cases, and the risks posed to individuals, groups, society, and the environment. Initial training should address current and emerging regulations in relevant markets and sectors, as well as a detailed examination of responsible AI principles and how to implement an AI Governance programme. 

Over time, as the focus shifts towards AI governance maturity, training should address the processes, capabilities and principles required to operationalise a responsible-by-design AI culture. One advantage of achieving a high level of AI governance maturity is the ability to develop, deploy and demonstrate trustworthy AI systems, enabling organisations to approach AI transformation at scale. 

At Freevacy, we recommend combining the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Certified AI Governance Professional (AIGP) with one of two AI professional certifications from BCS, the Chartered Institute of IT. Taken together, the IAPP and BCS programmes provide the skills required to advise on complex issues surrounding responsible AI, implement robust AI governance and benchmark AI maturity to establish clear paths to optimise performance. We also offer custom AI governance training courses for specific roles or industry sectors. 

In partnering with Freevacy, we commit to delivering the highest quality AI governance training to your key employees. It is for these reasons that Freevacy has been shortlisted in the Best Educator category at the PICASSO Privacy Awards for the last two years in a row. 

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