Kay Firth-Butterfield has been leading the charge on the responsible design, development, and use of artificial intelligence from the beginning. She was the world’s first Chief AI Ethics Officer and the inaugural Head of Artificial Intelligence at the World Economic Forum. A technologist and entrepreneur with an abiding interest in how humanity can benefit from new technologies, she speaks to corporations, media companies, NGOs, and governments around the world about the beneficial and challenging technical, economic, legal, geopolitical, and social changes arising from the use of AI.

Currently as the CEO of Good Tech Advisory, Firth-Butterfield helps organizations implement AI that is intentional, sustainable, globally aware, and human centered. Similar to the work she did at the World Economic Forum creating responsible AI guidelines and playbooks, her work through Good Tech enables business leaders to reap the benefits and mitigate the risks that AI brings to their enterprises.

In 2026, Firth-Butterfield published her debut book, Coexisting with AI: Work, Love, and Play in a Changing World. Filled with expert insights written in layman's terms, the book is a comprehensive guide exploring ideas ranging from AI's potential to solve humanity's biggest problems, to the most practical use cases in business and everyday life, to the weaponization of AI in politics and war—all supplemented with governance advisory to ensure the future of AI is beneficial for all.

A breast cancer survivor, Kay uses her personal journey with the disease to further inform her perspective on responsible AI, specifically in healthcare applications. She has helped hospitals create patient-centered principles and practices using AI and advocates for partnership rather than replacement between doctors and these technologies.

Firth-Butterfield is consistently recognized as one of the foremost experts in the world on the governance of AI. In 2024, she was named a TIME100 Impact awardee, Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation honoree, and both a Marquis Who’s Who Emerging Innovator and a Who’s Who in America listee. New York Times named her one of 10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership. She was also part of the trailblazing group that met at Asilomar to create the world’s first ethical principles on AI in 2017.

Kay is a board member of many renowned organizations including the IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in AI and Autonomous Systems, Polaris Council for the Government Accountability Office, UNESCO International Research Centre on AI Advisory Board, AI and Philanthropy Steering Committee of the Partnership on AI, Earth Species Project, and AI4All.

A barrister and former judge, Kay has authored books on human rights, AI, modern slavery, and human trafficking. She is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Texas, Visiting Scholar at the University of Notre Dame, and Fellow at New America in the Future of Work and Innovation team. She is also a Master of the Inner Temple, London and served on the Lord Chief Justice’s Advisory Panel on AI and Law.