Kay Firth-Butterfield

Kay Firth-Butterfield is the CEO of Good Tech Advisory and former inaugural Head of Artificial Intelligence at the World Economic Forum. She is widely acknowledged as one of the top experts in AI governance globally. A barrister, former judge, and professor, Firth-Butterfield has a profound dedication to ensuring that humanity can equitably benefit from new technologies, particularly AI.

Firth-Butterfield holds positions as an Associate Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers and is a Master of the Inner Temple, London. She has also served on the Lord Chief Justice’s Advisory Panel on AI and Law. In 2014, she made history as the world’s first Chief AI Ethics Officer and has recently been acknowledged with the TIME 100 Impact Award for her work in harnessing responsible AI. Additionally, she co-founded the Responsible AI Institute.

Currently, Firth-Butterfield is the Vice-Chair of The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems, and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Texas. Her leadership extends to her roles on the Polaris Council for the Government Accountability Office (USA), and the Advisory Boards of the UNESCO International Research Centre on AI and AI4All. She holds advanced degrees in Law and International Relations and is a frequent speaker at significant international forums discussing the multifaceted impacts of AI on society. Firth-Butterfield continues to be recognized as a leading figure in AI, a status she has maintained since 2018.