London unveils first draft of Emerging Technology Charter
Source: Cities Today Published: December 8th, 2020
London has released the first draft of its Emerging Technology Charter, which was announced in July and will serve as a set of criteria to guide the deployment of technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality, autonomous vehicles and more in the capital.
It calls for companies to be more transparent about how their systems work and states that “public sector organisations should have full and free access to data collected by new technologies commissioned by them”.
The Charter is being brought in as more technologies that “blur the lines between the physical and the digital world” are coming to the fore. It aims to ensure that these systems can be used to solve urban challenges while minimising risks.
“The Greater London Authority (GLA) is looking for new technology to support our ambition to make London an even better place to live, work and visit. Central to this is trustworthiness in how technology is trialled and deployed,” the document states.
The draft Charter is based around four principles:
Establish common, open and trusted ways of working between innovators, public services and Londoners when trialling and deploying new technologies
Respect equality, diversity and human rights and act lawfully in the design and use of emerging technology
Collect, manage, use and share data legally, ethically and securely
Support the long-term recovery of the city from COVID-19
It sets out the expectations of technology companies (makers) and local government and public services (buyers) for deploying technology in London, and provides a guide for citizens on the criteria and how they can have their say.
Theo Blackwell, London’s Chief Digital Officer, said on LinkedIn: “We’ll use this draft for the basis of discussions over the coming weeks with public servants and others commissioning new technology, plus makers, innovators, citizens and citizens and civil society.”
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