This week’s UKTN Podcast guest is Michael Mainelli, Lord Mayor of the City of London, who discusses why the UK capital is a global problem solver, why he believes politicians have launched AI regulations “without doing their homework”, and why space junk is a growing problem.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London is the head of the City of London Corporation, the governing body of the Square Mile. The Lord Mayor is elected annually and is an international ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services sector.
Mainelli, who is the 695th Lord Mayor of the City of London, was previously elected Sheriff of the City of London in 2019. The American-born British professor, scientist, economist and accountant is also chairman of the consultancy firm Z/Yen.
When it comes to AI, Mainelli believes that policymakers are overlooking existing ISO standards as a way to keep rapidly developing technologies like large language models in check.
“It’s nice that you from first principles discovered AI 18 months ago, went into your bedroom, wrote seven principles down or six or eight, but why aren’t you using the stuff that’s already there in a huge system that is there designed specifically to regulate technology?” says Mainelli.
Elsewhere in this episode, Mainelli shares his view on reforms aimed at encouraging pension fund cash into listed companies and how the City is really doing since Brexit.
“So the City, strictly speaking, is doing well,” Mainelli says. “And the tech firms and such are in my opinion getting a reasonably appropriate amount of investment.”
Listen to the full episode here, along with all previous episodes of the UKTN Podcast.
The UKTN Podcast is sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking, which offers flexible banking solutions for startups, scaleups, growth businesses, investors and those working towards IPO.
Throughout the series, the UKTN Podcast will be speaking to some of the key movers and shakers from UK tech. We’ll learn growth strategies from both seasoned and up-and-coming founders, hear market sentiments from investors, and question policymakers on the decisions impacting the country’s innovation economy.
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