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Kay Firth-Butterfield is one of the world’s leading voices on artificial intelligence, law and ethics. A pioneer in responsible technology, she is widely recognised for her ability to bridge legal insight with practical governance solutions. As a keynote speaker for The Virtual Speakers Agency, Kay explores how humanity can benefit from AI equitably and safely. She has spoken at major global events, including Davos and WIRED, and regularly advises governments, universities and corporations on emerging technologies. Her talks are trusted for their clarity, intelligence and deep understanding of the social, ethical and business challenges posed by AI.
Kay began her career as a Barrister and Judge for the UK Ministry of Justice, becoming an Associate Barrister for Doughty Street Chambers and a Master of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. Her background in law laid the foundation for her later focus on technology governance. In 2014, she made history as the world’s first Chief AI Ethics Officer, establishing the ethical framework for Lucid AI. This milestone role signalled the start of a remarkable journey that has seen Kay shape global discussions on how to regulate and apply AI responsibly. She went on to serve as Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum, where she led global initiatives and alliances to guide the future of AI.
After her success at the Forum, Kay became Chief Executive Officer of Good Tech Advisory, a consultancy that supports organisations, NGOs and policymakers in building trust in technology. Alongside this, she continues to contribute to academia as a Distinguished Scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, a Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Notre Dame. She sits on multiple boards, including AI4All, AI for Planet and EarthSpecies.org, and advises the US Government through the Polaris Council of the Government Accountability Office.
Kay’s contributions have earned global recognition. She was honoured with the TIME100 AI Impact Award (2024) and named in the Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation list and the Marquis Who’s Who Makers List of Emerging Innovators to Watch. The New York Times has described her as one of the “10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership.” Today, Kay is in high demand as a virtual keynote speaker, conference moderator and after-dinner speaker. Her presentations challenge audiences to rethink how AI can enhance business, education and society while ensuring human values remain at the centre of innovation.
Kay Firth-Butterfield is regularly booked to engage audiences at virtual events, read their latest feedback below:
“Kay was great – a total professional… Kay was excellent so thanks for sorting that out”
“Kay Firth-Butterfield joined our Executive Forum with our key customers in October 2023 in France and I was able to interview her on stage on AI Ethics questions which are currently on top of mind for our customers. Kay’s deep and broad knowledge of AI allowed Kay to raise a lot of awareness and to provide insight into how enterprises should respond to the questions raised by AI, both for AI created by technology companies or AI procured by enterprises in all industry sectors. Kay is very engaging and did not only show a lot of presence on stage but also had great follow-up discussions with customers over dinner and throughout the day.”
“Kay’s talk was so interesting… we had a tech glitch during her talk but it didn’t phase her at all.”
“Kay is simply amazing and one of the most caring people I have encountered in my career… She is extremely passionate about protecting people from the potential negative consequences of the use of technology, and it shows in every speech she gives and every article she writes. She is also incredibly well-spoken and very thoughtful in everything she says. It is my pleasure to have worked with her…”
“At a high-profile event last week Kay was a guest speaker who took part in a fireside chat with one of our client’s senior business leaders, the topic being ‘Responsible innovation in the age of AI’. Kay was a delight to work with throughout and had a wonderful presence onstage; professional, insightful, incredibly interesting but also with a very warm and friendly air. Kay was also very open pre-event to join a couple of calls, both to enable us to give her a full briefing but she also took the time to virtually meet with her ‘interviewee’ to discuss flow, key topics and develop a relationship which again ensured a much more cohesive, relaxed and engaging tone when in the live situation. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Kay for any speaking engagement.”
The Online Speakers Agency is a bureau specialising in virtual speakers. Founded in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have booked leading experts on diversity, finance, teamwork and more for online events hosted across the globe.
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