03 June 2025
Shaping AI with purpose
Reflections from the FAB Futures event
Ufi’s Director of Strategic Engagement, Anthony Painter, shares his reflections on artificial intelligence (AI) adoption.
“There is no denying it — we are in a bit of a funk when it comes to AI adoption. The noise is loud, the lights are bright and potentially distracting. Yet, amidst the flood of headlines and hype, there is a sense of uncertainty. We know this moment matters, but we are unsure how best to act.
This is not the first time we have been here. Over a decade ago at the RSA, we were grappling with similar concerns around automation and the future of work. Back then, the work of Benedict Dellot and others suggested that far from over-investing in technology, we were under-investing and missing out on potential productivity gains as a result.
History tells us that technology adoption moves much more slowly than we expect, often decades slower than the hype would suggest. However, this wave is different. Generative AI is arriving with features and behaviours we have not dealt with before such as hallucinations. At the same time, there is an ongoing wave of concern about the impacts of social media, cognitive hollowing out and lack of concentration alongside teenage mental health impacts. Then there comes the problematic poster bros of the AI revolution alongside environmental impacts.
We actually have the tailwinds of hype and sensationalism and headwinds of anxiety and fear simultaneously. In the worst-case scenario, this could result in both harmful over-adoption and opportunity-sapping caution, polarising the landscape and leaving us stuck.
How do we move forward?
During our panel discussion at the Fab Futures seminar, Rob Mettler’s framework helped focus our thinking. Rather than defaulting to ‘AI everywhere’, rejecting it with ‘not AI’, or pushing the responsibility to others with ‘AI elsewhere’, the consensus was to advocate for ‘human-in-the-loop’ approaches. But this needs to go beyond just inserting human checkpoints into AI systems.
It is about maintaining human oversight over systems, not just within them. These are powerful and potentially hugely beneficial technologies as long as we have agency. We must ensure people are empowered to shape how AI is used, not just react to it after the fact.
What was most heartening at FAB was the level of thoughtful, practical engagement from everyone involved. There was a strong sense of realism, tempered with optimism, and a shared commitment to ensuring that AI adoption serves learners, workers, and society.
We are not there yet. There is more to do. But if we can keep people at the centre of this transformation, with a say in where we go and how we get there, the future of skills in an AI age might just be something we can shape for the better”
Anthony spoke on the Digital Enabling panel discussion at the FAB Futures Seminar. He was joined by Rob Mettler, Partner and Member of PA’s Management Group at PA Consulting, Patrick Coates, CEO of e-Assessment Association, Rayhaan Vankalwala, Senior Associate at Bates Wells and Denver Davies, Executive Director of Regulation at Qualifications Wales. The panel was chaired by Jessica Leigh-Jones MBE, Co-Founder and Group CEO at iungo Solutions.
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