What can AI do for genomic medicine? If an AI model produces a result that is outside our current understanding, but not necessarily in violation of it, can we trust it? Focus group participants who were presented with this scenario didn’t always have a clear answer. For many participants, this generally reaffirmed the need for human oversight of these tools.

Prior to the mid-20th century, a type 1 diabetes diagnosis was a death sentence. Although we still have no cure for diabetes, advancements in insulin therapy have meant that the lives of diabetics aren’t cut tragically short. The discovery of insulin and its role in treating diabetes, and the development of ways to provide patients with regular doses of it were decades in the making.

Biotechnology is nothing new. Humans have been using yeasts for baking and brewing for thousands of years, and utilising plants in remedies for injury and illness. Even the development of the lemon through the hybridisation of two different citrus species is an example of early biotechnology – life didn’t give us lemons; humans brought them into existence.

Over my career I have worked collaborately in multidisciplinary teams and applied geospatial solutions to solve problems in the environmental, defence, emergency management and transportation fields. I have also worked on technology projects across the three tiers of government and also on international projects.

I have over 30 years’ experience in industrial Research and Development roles at IBM and significant executive management experience leading Research and Development projects worldwide. Originally trained as a PhD Physicist in the UK, I have always valued the role professional societies play in the dialogue around the impact of science on society.