AI Action Summit: Day 1
techUK is thrilled to commence the AI Action Summit events in Paris, with our first day proving to be full of productive international dialogue and collaboration around AI governance and innovation.
The day commenced with significant techUK engagement across several key events in Paris. At the British Embassy, techUK supported an event titled "AI for Growth: Fostering UK-France Collaboration." This gathering brought together leaders from both nations' AI ecosystems, facilitating deep discussions through focused roundtables. The sessions explored AI adoption opportunities across Financial and Professional Services, Life Sciences, and Telecommunications sectors, while also addressing fundamental aspects of the current AI landscape including computing infrastructure, skills development, and sustainability considerations. The event featured notable speakers including UK AI Minister Feryal Clark MP, UK Ambassador Dame Menna Rawlings, Industrial Strategy Advisory Council Chair Clare Barclay, and Mistral AI's Global Head of Public Affairs Audrey Herblin-Stoop.
As a founding member of the Tech7, techUK's presence in Paris alongside sister organisations from G7 countries reinforced the commitment to international cooperation in AI governance. The day began with an informal dinner, setting the stage for policy discussions to follow and the upcoming AI Action Summit. While no major announcements were made during these events, there were indications of forthcoming French initiatives, particularly regarding data center developments. techUK enjoyed attending an insightful talk by Thomas Courbe, Director General for French DG for Enterprise and France's representative on the EU AI Board - the body established by the EU AI Act to facilitate coordination and discussions between member states.
The day also saw techUK's participation in the inaugural conference of safe and ethical AI, hosted by IASEAI. This newly-formed independent charitable organisation brought together approximately 700 in-person attendees from 65 countries, representing academia, industry, government, and civil society. The conference successfully worked to break down existing silos in AI risk mitigation, featuring influential speakers such as Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey Hinton, Margaret Mitchel, Ancan Dragon, and Maria Ressa. The event demonstrated a unified commitment to ensuring AI systems operate safely and ethically, while shaping policy and promoting research in this crucial field.
The overall atmosphere across all events was notably positive, establishing a constructive foundation for upcoming discussions and collaborations in the AI space. This day of engagement underscores the growing momentum behind international cooperation in AI governance and the shared commitment to responsible AI development and implementation.
We look forward to the days ahead.
Sue Daley OBE
Sue Daley OBE
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work.
This includes work programmes on cloud, data protection, data analytics, AI, digital ethics, Digital Identity and Internet of Things as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy.
In 2025, Sue was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Technology Industry in the New Year Honours List.
She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame.
A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK, Sue was co-chair of the UK government's National Data Strategy Forum until July 2024. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020 Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI. In addition to being a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security, Sue was recently a judge for the UK Tech 50 and is a regular judge of the annual UK Cloud Awards.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015 Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. She has spoken at events including the UK-China Internet Forum in Beijing, UN IGF and European RSA on issues ranging from data usage and privacy, cloud computing and online child safety. Before joining Symantec, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Masters Degree on International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2055
- Twitter:
- @ChannelSwimSue,@ChannelSwimSue
Tess Buckley
Tess Buckley
Tess is the Programme Manager for Digital Ethics and AI Safety at techUK.
Prior to techUK Tess worked as an AI Ethics Analyst, which revolved around the first dataset on Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR), and then later the development of a large language model focused on answering ESG questions for Chief Sustainability Officers. Alongside other responsibilities, she distributed the dataset on CDR to investors who wanted to further understand the digital risks of their portfolio, she drew narratives and patterns from the data, and collaborate with leading institutes to support academics in AI ethics. She has authored articles for outlets such as ESG Investor, Montreal AI Ethics Institute, The FinTech Times, and Finance Digest. Covered topics like CDR, AI ethics, and tech governance, leveraging company insights to contribute valuable industry perspectives. Tess is Vice Chair of the YNG Technology Group at YPO, an AI Literacy Advisor at Humans for AI, a Trustworthy AI Researcher at Z-Inspection Trustworthy AI Labs and an Ambassador for AboutFace.
Tess holds a MA in Philosophy and AI from Northeastern University London, where she specialised in biotechnologies and ableism, following a BA from McGill University where she joint-majored in International Development and Philosophy, minoring in communications. Tess’s primary research interests include AI literacy, AI music systems, the impact of AI on disability rights and the portrayal of AI in media (narratives). In particular, Tess seeks to operationalise AI ethics and use philosophical principles to make emerging technologies explainable, and ethical.
Outside of work Tess enjoys kickboxing, ballet, crochet and jazz music.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- tessbuckley.me
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tesssbuckley/
Usman Ikhlaq
Usman Ikhlaq
Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
His role is to help techUK members of all sizes and across all sectors to adopt AI at scale. This includes identifying the barriers to adoption, considering solutions and how best to maximise AI's potential.
Prior to joining techUK, Usman worked as a policy, government affairs and public affairs professional in the advertising sector. He has also worked in sales and marketing and FinTech.
Usman is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science (MSc), BPP Law School (GDL and LLB) and Queen Mary University of London (BA).
When he isn’t working, Usman enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also has a keen interest in running, reading and travelling.
