British Indian among experts to develop future tech in UK

London, Dec 19: A British Indian is among five leading industry experts who will be working to accelerate development and deployment of emerging technologies in key UK growth sectors.

An AI council member, Priya Lakhani OBE, has been appointed to support work to harness new digital technology, such as artificial intelligence, in five high potential sectors to create 21st century's Silicon Valleys in the UK.

The five sectors include digital technology, green industries, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and the creative industries.

Lakhani and other experts will be working hand-in-hand with Chief Scientific Adviser and National Technology Adviser, Patrick Vallance to advise on new rules that use the UK's regulatory freedom to promote innovation.

Vallance and his "team will be critical as we harness every tool at our disposal to create the industries and jobs of the future, which will deliver long-lasting benefits for local communities across the UK", Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in a statement.

Lakhani is the Founder CEO of CENTURY Tech, an Artificial Intelligence education technology company that develops AI-powered learning tools for schools, colleges, universities and employers across the world.

She left her career as a lawyer in 2008 to launch a fresh cooking-sauce business, which through its charitable foundation provided millions of meals and thousands of vaccinations to the underprivileged in India and Africa, and funded several schools.

She was awarded Business Entrepreneur of the Year by the Chancellor in 2009 and Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2014.

She was a business advisor to the UK's coalition government, and was appointed to the AI Council in 2019.

In 2018, Lakhani co-founded the Institute for Ethical AI in Education, which helps to enable learners to benefit from AI in education in an ethical way.