[CXOTALK FRIDAY] Accenture's Chief Technology & Innovation Officer on Ethical AI

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In CXOTalk episode 830, we speak with Paul Daugherty, a leading figure at Accenture, to explore the increasingly critical topics of responsible technology and ethical AI. As technology continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, the ethical considerations surrounding its development and implementation have never been more important.

This episode offers a deep dive into what it means to create and use technology responsibly, ensuring that AI serves humanity's best interests without compromising ethical standards.

Key Points:

• Defining the Landscape: We start by clarifying what 'responsible technology' and 'ethical AI' mean in today's context, exploring their significance and the interplay between these concepts in shaping a future where technology aligns with human values.

• Challenges and Best Practices: The conversation navigates through the current state of the industry, highlighting the challenges companies face in implementing ethical AI systems. Paul Daugherty shares insights into best practices and the impact of generative AI, offering a roadmap for companies to navigate these complexities responsibly.

• Looking Ahead: The episode concludes with a forward-looking discussion on the evolving standards of ethical AI and the role of regulation. Daugherty shares his vision for the future integration of responsible technology in business, preparing companies for upcoming challenges and opportunities.

Tune in to Episode 830 of CXOTalk for a conversation on the future of technology, guided by ethical principles and responsible innovation.

Paul Daugherty is Accenture's Chief Technology and Innovation Officer (CTIO), and is a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee. As a visionary in shaping the innovation of technology, Paul leads and executes Accenture’s technology strategy, leveraging the company’s leading-edge capabilities and research and development to reinvent the future of business.

As CTIO, Paul also leads Accenture’s Innovation strategy and organization, including Accenture Labs and The Dock in Dublin, Ireland. He directs Accenture’s global research and development into emerging technology areas such as generative AI, quantum computing, science tech and space technology. He leads a dedicated innovation group that not only designs and delivers transformational business and technology solutions, but also invests in, and partners with, pioneering companies to pilot and incubate new technologies. Paul also leads Accenture’s annual Technology Vision report, hosts its annual Innovation Forum event, and leads Accenture Ventures, which he founded to focus on strategic equity investments to accelerate growth.

Previously, Paul served as Accenture's Group Chief Executive – Technology, where he led all aspects of Accenture's Technology business. In this role, he led the formation of Accenture Cloud First to help clients across every industry accelerate their digital transformation and realize greater value at speed and scale by rapidly becoming “cloud first” businesses. He oversaw the launch of the Accenture Metaverse Continuum business group, which focuses market-leading capabilities in customer experience, digital commerce, extended reality, blockchain, digital twins, artificial intelligence and computer vision to help clients design, execute and accelerate their metaverse journeys. Most recently, he helped lay the groundwork for Accenture’s $3 billion investment in its Data & AI practice to help clients rapidly and responsibly advance and use AI, including Generative AI, to achieve greater growth, efficiency and resilience.

Paul is a passionate advocate for gender equality in the workplace and STEM-related inclusion and diversity initiatives. For more than six years, he has been a member of the board of directors of Girls Who Code, an organization that seeks to support and increase the number of women in computer science careers.

Paul serves on the board of directors of Avanade, the leading provider of Microsoft technology services. He also serves on the boards of the Computer History Museum and the Computer Science and Engineering program at the University of Michigan.

In 2023, Paul received the prestigious St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal for Industry from Science Foundation Ireland as well as a nomination to Thinkers50, a ranking of the world’s most influential management thinkers. He also accepted the FASPE Award for Ethical Leadership in 2019 for his work in applying ethical principles to the development and use of artificial intelligence technologies.

Paul is co-author of two highly acclaimed books: Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI (Harvard Business Review Press, 2018), a management playbook for the business of artificial intelligence; and Radically Human: How New Technology is Transforming Business and Shaping Our Future (Harvard Business Review Press, April 2022).

Paul joined Accenture in 1986. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan.

Michael Krigsman is an industry analyst and publisher of CXOTalk. For three decades, he has advised enterprise technology companies on market messaging and positioning strategy. He has written over 1,000 blogs on leadership and digital transformation and created almost 1,000 video interviews with the world’s top business leaders on these topics. His work has been referenced in the media over 1,000 times and in over 50 books. He has presented and moderated panels at numerous industry events around the world.

Mar 22: Paul Daugherty, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Accenture

Apr 5: Mohamad Ali, Chief Operating Officer, IBM Consulting

Apr 12: Tim Clement-Jones, Member, House of Lords, UK Parliament

Apr 19: Parag Parekh, Global Chief Digital Officer, IKEA

Apr 26: Kian Katanfaroosh, Computer Science Lecturer, Stanford University

May 3: Simon Allen. CEO, McGraw HIll