London Tech Week: public fear of AI presents a key opportunity for communications

The last few days have made it clear just how much strength there is in the UK’s technology ecosystem.

Visiting London Tech Week, what stood out was that the UK now has many of the right ingredients: world-leading innovation in AI, a growing chip ecosystem, deep research capability and serious ambition to help businesses scale here.

The emphasis on adoption made this year feel different and the AI Adoption Summit brought that question much closer to the centre of the conversation throughout the week.

There is a clear understanding that the economic opportunity will only be realised if AI is used confidently and effectively across the economy, and that is where the public mood matters.

AI usage is growing, but usage does not equal confidence and there is still a large proportion of the public fearful of the technology.

This is important because fear shapes behaviour even where technology is available. It can make employees more resistant to new tools, customers more cautious about AI-enabled services and business leaders more hesitant about introducing change into their organisations.

This is where communications has an important role to play for technology businesses, policymakers and employers.

Too much communication on AI still assumes the benefits are self-evident. It leans on claims about productivity and transformation, while giving people little clarity about what will actually change, how risk is being managed and why the technology should be trusted. For many people, AI still feels complex, remote and imposed from above.

Better communications will not remove every concern, nor should it try to. Some concerns about AI are legitimate and need to be addressed through responsible implementation, strong governance and clear safeguards. But it can help make those choices visible and understandable, explain where AI creates value, what its limits are and how decisions are being made.

That feels like one of the more important points to take from this week, particularly from a communications perspective.

The UK has a strong AI opportunity, but its success will to a certain extent depend on whether public confidence can keep pace with technical progress.

By Dave Shepherd-Bertram, Associate Director and Technology Lead at Citypress

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