Tom is a lawyer and is the Strategic Adviser to the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner, as well as sitting on his Strategic Board. He leads on a range of policy areas, including the ethics oversight of policing AI such as predictive policing and facial recognition programmes.
Tom also sits on a range of boards including the National Union of Students and various public sector strategic boards with a particular focus on supporting vulnerable children. He is also undertaking a part-time PhD into the role of deliberative democracy and criminal justice.
Objectives
• My work in relation to ethical oversight of controversial artificial intelligence projects including influencing national policy, and my work around advocacy in data sharing and use of AI in the public sector, requires I keep up to date with cutting edge developments in the uses of AI and the debates surrounding them. Given I am a social scientist by background, having the opportunity to build my understanding of the technological and scientific landscape from expert academics would be an invaluable intellectual resource for informing my approach to these challenging conversations in my work. I sit on a number of influential strategic public and third sector boards and I am very proactive in sharing best practice, raising issues I have learned about and or connecting policymakers together with other thinkers to help spur change.
• Building an awareness of leading thinkers in relation to some of the questions I outline below, would provide me with opportunities for learning more and exploring collaboration, all with the view to better informing evidence-led policy in my work. I have frequently forged links with thought leaders through my work in AI and policing once I have become aware of new perspectives and areas of expertise. Having the opportunity to expand my network in this context would present fantastic new opportunities.
• My work in policy (and before as a charity lawyer) is incredibly diverse and varied. I am very extremely eager to continue to build my knowledge of the scientific horizon in multiple areas even if not obviously connected to my immediate work. Not only are relevant policy links sometimes made between unlikely issues, but it would also help me in my professional development for potential future roles and work which for me are likely to always be in the public or third sector.
• I would also hope to offer academics insights into my own work, such as some of the social and governance complexities of working through emerging technological issues within a devolved authority, and the complex array of stakeholders across academia, central government, the public and local authorities.
