Guidance on biometric data, the AI Safety Summit, plus DWP’s New Hospitality Employment Programme
If you have any questions about today’s blog post, then we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch via our website.
ICO consultation on the draft biometric data guidance
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has produced guidance on biometric data and biometric technologies.
The draft guidance looks at the definition of biometric data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and how data protection law applies when using biometric recognition systems.
Biometric recognition systems are tools used by businesses to verify customers’ identity in the digital world. For example, facial recognition technology, voice recognition, fingerprint scanning, etc.
The ICO’s draft guidance covers:
- what biometric data is;
- when it is considered special category data;
- its use in biometric recognition systems; and
- the data protection requirements you need to comply with.
This guidance is for organisations that use or are considering using biometric recognition systems. It is also for vendors of these systems. The aim of the guide is to help businesses and organisations understand the law and the ICO’s recommendations for good practice.
See: Guidance on biometric data | ICO
AI Safety Summit
The AI Safety Summit will take place on the 1st and 2nd November at Bletchley Park.
The summit will bring together key countries, as well as leading technology organisations, academia, and civil society to inform rapid national and international action at the frontier of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development.
The summit will focus on risks created or significantly exacerbated by the most powerful AI systems, particularly those associated with the potentially dangerous capabilities of these systems. For example, this would include the proliferation of access to information which could undermine biosecurity. The summit will also focus on how safe AI can be used for public good and to improve people’s lives – from lifesaving medical technology to safer transport.
The summit will draw on a range of perspectives both prior to and at the event itself to inform these discussions. The UK government has stated that it looks forward to working closely with global partners on these issues to make frontier AI safe, and to ensure nations and citizens globally can realise its benefits, now and in the future. As part of an iterative and consultative process, the UK is now sharing the five objectives which will be progressed. These build upon initial stakeholder consultation and evidence-gathering and will frame the discussion at the summit:
- a shared understanding of the risks posed by frontier AI and the need for action;
- a forward process for international collaboration on frontier AI safety, including how best to support national and international frameworks;
- appropriate measures which individual organisations should take to increase frontier AI safety;
- areas for potential collaboration on AI safety research, including evaluating model capabilities and the development of new standards to support governance; and
- showcase how ensuring the safe development of AI will enable AI to be used for good globally.
Accelerating AI investment, deployment and capabilities represents enormous opportunities for productivity and public good. The emergence of models with increasingly general capabilities, and step changes in accessibility and application, have created the prospect of up to $7 trillion in growth over the next 10 years and significantly faster drug discovery.
However, without appropriate guardrails, this technology also poses significant risks in ways that do not respect national boundaries. The need to address these risks, including at an international level, is increasingly urgent.
Individual countries, international organisations, businesses, academia, and civil society are already taking forward critical work and driving international collaboration on AI including at the UN, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), Council of Europe, G7, G20, and standard development organisations. The summit will build on these important initiatives by agreeing practical next steps to address risks from frontier AI. This will include further discussions on how to operationalise risk-mitigation measures at frontier AI organisations, assessment of the most important areas for international collaboration to support safe frontier AI, and a roadmap for longer-term action.
See: UK government sets out AI Safety Summit ambitions – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
New Hospitality Employment Programme
The pilot scheme, set to launch in Liverpool before being rolled out to other major cities over the coming months, will see benefit claimants gain an industry recognised accreditation, endorsed by industry leaders including Greene King, Marriot Hotels, and ACC Liverpool.
The Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) combines a programme of learning launched by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in collaboration with UKHospitality.
The scheme is designed to provide tailored training for jobseekers from industry experts, allowing them to move into a career in hospitality, while boosting workforce participation in the sector and helping to grow the economy.
Benefit claimants will complete qualifications and accredited training in areas such as health and safety, food safety, licensing, and conflict resolution to add to their Hospitality Skills Passport – a digital pass which can be added to CVs to show employers jobseekers have the skillset required by the sector. They will also receive training in confidence and assertiveness to build personal skills and strength.
The programme will culminate with a guaranteed job interview for all participants, helping jobseekers with an opportunity to apply their new skills and a pathway to apprenticeships.