Kay Firth-Butterfield

Kay Firth-Butterfield serves as Executive Director of the Centre for Trustworthy Technology, a World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution hosted at the University of Texas at Austin, where she holds the academic rank of Professor. Globally recognized as a leading expert in AI governance and ethics, her work bridges law, technology, and societal impact.

Her educational background includes advanced degrees in Law and International Relations, complemented by professional qualifications as an Associate Barrister and Master of the Inner Temple in London. She previously served on the Lord Chief Justice’s Advisory Panel on AI and Law.

Dr. Firth-Butterfield's research focuses on developing equitable frameworks for artificial intelligence deployment, addressing technical, economic, and social challenges. She pioneered the field as the world's first Chief AI Ethics Officer in 2014 and co-founded the Responsible AI Institute to advance practical governance tools.

She holds influential advisory positions:

• Vice-Chair of The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems
• Member of the Polaris Council for the U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Advisor to UNESCO International Research Centre on AI
• Advisor to EarthSpecies
• Advisor to AI4All

Her contributions include co-creating the Asilomar AI Ethical Principles and regular international speaking engagements on AI's multifaceted impacts. No information regarding student advising or research grants was provided in the source text.