BCS, the Chartered Institute for Information Technology’s new report ‘Trustworthy Technology: Meeting Society’s Expectations for AI’, has found that the public expects technology professionals to be professionally registered on a public register and to meet standards of competence and ethics as is expected of doctors, lawyers and accountants.
Drawn from a nationally representative YouGov survey of over 2,000 UK adults, the report provides fresh evidence of the growing demand for professional accountability across technology roles:
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85% of respondents agreed that IT professionals working on systems that affect the public should be required to join a public register and follow an independent code of conduct, like doctors or lawyers.
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82% believed that IT professionals working in high-impact AI roles should be professionally registered and held to independent standards of competence and ethics.
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75% said they would trust an IT professional more if they were listed on a public register and accountable to a code of conduct.
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50% said that an independent body, such as BCS, should be responsible for upholding ethical and technical standards.
In light of these results, BCS recommend that professional registration should be an essential condition for all public sector technology roles to ensure accountability and reinforce public trust, in particular for high-impact roles. They would also like to see the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) continue to lead in bringing UK companies and professional bodies together to set and develop ethical standards.
Sharron Gunn, CEO of BCS, commented on the results:
“As the professional body for computing, our role is to champion the highest standards on behalf of both our members and the public. This research shows the value to society of IT professionals who are proud to be accountable, competent, and to follow a clear code of conduct.
For our members, that’s exactly what professional registration and chartered status represent. By embedding these principles across the public sector and beyond, we can help ensure that AI and digital services work in a way that earns and keeps people’s trust.”
To read the full report, visit the BCS website and learn more about professional registration on the Engineering Council Website.
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