BCI forms Special Interest Group focused on Artificial Intelligence

This newly formed Special Interest Group was created in the wake of requests from members who are keen to explore the capabilities of AI in resilience settings and also by those practitioners acutely aware of the potential risks of adopting a new technology without the appropriate controls being in place.

Going forward, the Special Interest Group will investigate the specific uses of AI to enhance organisational resilience, as well as considering new ways in which such a technology could be exploited for resilience professionals.

The other clear aim will be to ascertain safe ways of adopting AI technologies in tandem with assessing the controls and processes in place to ensure the risks attached to using AI (such as potential misinformation through generative AI, privacy concerns, lack of regulation and machines carrying out tasks which still require human verification).

In essence, the group aims to drive AI innovation in resilience and business continuity through sharing and building community knowledge, keeping members up-to-date on emerging trends and research, contributing to thought leadership and fostering supportive and collaborative networks.

Committee formation

The committee for the Artificial Intelligence Special Interest Group has been partially formed from those who’ve already expressed an interest in setting up a group, with other interested parties invited to nominate themselves for consideration.

In particular, the BCI is looking for individuals who fall into the following categories: 

*Creator and developer: Those who are actively involved in creating products and/or services for – or have uses for – the resilience community

*Active user: Those who use AI products (or features of products) in their resilience programmes and/or manage the implementation of the technology

*Generative AI user: Those who currently use generative AI for resilience purposes, but have yet to purchase or otherwise use AI-specific tools or features of products in resilience settings

*Active watcher: Those who have an active interest in AI and are considering its implementation in their own organisation

*Risk community and cautious professions: Those who have a particular interest in the risks associated with AI or are particularly keen to adopt, but remain concerned about the risks

Mikaiiro Laitinen (from Finland) originally requested this new Special Interest Group and will be its leader, with other founding committee members being Simon Contini (UAE), Austin Cruz (United States) and Abitha Mohan (India). Laitinen is an experienced resilience and business continuity practitioner with a special interest in AI. He’s also vice-leader of the BCI’s Finland Chapter.

Laitinen noted: “In early 2023, I asked a vanilla ChatGPT to create a Business Continuity Plan. The results were a wake-up call. If AI can produce a quite convincing plan in a matter of seconds, what else could it do? I then started thinking about the wider impact AI will have on the business continuity and resilience industry.”

He continued: “I’m fascinated by AI and its potential and I wish to learn from and give back to the business continuity community. The first objective of the new Special Interest Group will be facilitating active discussions of AI in the business continuity and resilience industry from different perspectives.”

Evolution of technology

Rachael Elliott, knowledge strategist at the BCI, commented: “The creation of this new Special Interest Group comes at an exciting and very pertinent time for the industry. Since the pandemic, the evolution of technology in our sector has been rapid. Organisations are now employing comprehensive risk mapping solutions, using visual and augmented reality in exercising, and exploiting tools such as geofencing in the emergency communications programmes.”

Elliott continued: “AI offers even more opportunities on top of the options available to practitioners. Many are already using the generative AI to help with document creation, for datamining or for scenario generation. Technology providers are now using AI to increase functionality in existing tools, as well as invent new solutions.”

Further, Elliott stated: “While international bodies, Governments and industry associations are rushing to ensure relevant controls are in place such as privacy controls, non-malicious use clauses and protective mechanisms, many practitioners remain unconvinced of the safety of the technology.”

Elliott is excited about the outputs that will emanate from the Special Interest Group, which will hopefully lead to new thinking – and potentially new practice – for the industry. “With Mikaiiro driving the group, the proactivity and dedication of this initiative is guaranteed to be high.”

*Further information is available online at www.thebci.org