A responsible AI as a driver of innovation: key takeaways from the GSMA AI Summit 2024

In the fast-paced world of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a linchpin of business innovation.

As Head of Ethical AI at Telefónica, I was fortunate enough to speak about how we address this issue in the company at the GSMA AI Summit in London at the end of last year. On the panel "Responsible AI Driving Innovation and Creating Competitive Advantage" with European AI journalists, I explained how a good Responsible AI (RAI) strategy is not only compatible with innovation, but helps to drive it as well.

Keys to a good Responsible AI (RAI) strategy

These are the fundamental aspects to achieve a good responsible artificial intelligence (RAI) strategy:

• a comprehensive framework that balances the speed of innovation with the necessary protective measures.
• ethical guidelines setting out the fundamental principles for the use of AI.
• a risk management system to ensure that potential problems are identified and mitigated.
• a governance structure that defines roles, responsibilities and processes for responsible use of AI from the source of product and service design.
• a cross-organisational training plan to facilitate the cultural transition involved in adopting AI throughout the organisation.

In 2018, at Telefónica we began to integrate RAI practices with a clear vision that has materialised in actions that are influencing the company's innovation processes. Telefónica's innovation teams have adopted this vision, developing products and services with a "responsibility by design" approach, which has led to the RAI strategy becoming a cornerstone of the company's innovation culture.

RAI Maturity Roadmap: the first AI ethics framework for the telecommunications sector

This vision has not gone unnoticed by the GSMA. By inviting Telefónica to participate in this event, it set out to highlight the leadership role we have played alongside other carriers in the creation of the RAI Maturity Roadmap, the first ethical framework for AI that the GSMA has developed specifically for the telecoms sector.

It is a roadmap that provides a structured approach for telecoms carriers to implement a responsible AI strategy, and it offers practical milestones and tools to guide its implementation.

Telefónica's experience shows that its adoption can help companies scale their efforts efficiently and ensure consistency in the application of responsible AI principles while driving innovation.