A call to lead responsibly in the age of AI.
Like so many of you, I’ve watched the North East achieve monumental recognition over the past couple of months, as the region was officially crowned an “AI Growth Zone.”
With an impressive £30 billion investment package and the promise of thousands of new jobs, plans for vast new data centres, cutting-edge research at universities, and the impending arrival of global tech players, the excitement here is tangible.
Clearly AI is now woven into the fabric of local business and education, with universities reworking curricula and companies exploring ways to get ahead.
As the region is becoming the UK’s go-to place for AI innovation and opportunity, if you’re a small business owner, this is the time to get involved. And trust me, getting involved is essential for all of us!
Ethical AI starts with people
I’ve been thinking a lot about our involvement with AI, and how we should learn from the past and not let the tech companies make all decisions on our behalf.
Importantly, how do we ensure that we all adopt AI ethically, with a human-centred and commercially viable approach?
I’m delighted to share that I’ve been working with fellow AI adoption experts Mitali Deypurkaystha and Dr Yulia Dzenkovska on a practical framework. A people-first pledge to guide us in balancing profitability with responsibility and trust.
We are calling it the Human-First Responsible AI Pledge©.
It’s a call to leaders to adopt ethical AI with humanity at its core, grounded in the UK’s leading frameworks, that benefits everyone:
H for Human-Centred
1. Put people first, ensuring AI strengthens trust, wellbeing and inclusion.
2. Lead a forward-thinking culture of inventive and imaginative use of AI.
U for Uncompromising Safety
3. Build AI systems that are safe, reliable and aligned with human values.
4. Pause or stop any AI that poses intolerable risks to people or society.
M for Measured & Fair
5. Test and monitor AI to reduce bias, harm and unintended risks.
6. Protect privacy and uphold the highest standards of data security.
A for Accountable & Transparent
7. Be transparent about when and how AI is used, including clear labelling of AI-generated content.
8. Train and empower our teams to use AI responsibly, question its outputs and be accountable for decisions that affect lives.
N for Neighbourhood & Community
9. Share AI knowledge and resources with our communities, helping ensure no group is left behind in the AI transition.
10. Strengthen the wider ecosystem for AI, by supporting high-quality, bias-free data, clear governance and resilience against misinformation.
This pledge is there to affirm our responsibility to adopt AI ethically, transparently, and inclusively in the North East. Together, we can shape an AI future that uplifts people, empowers businesses, and leaves no community behind.
And as we look to the future, that commitment becomes even more vital.
2026 will be a landmark year for AI progress in the UK, and the North East has an extraordinary opportunity to lead responsibly.
With the upcoming UK AI Act, the launch of the Stargate UK infrastructure, and major national events like the AI Vision to Value Conference and AI & Big Data Expo Global, innovation will accelerate at a pace we’ve never seen before. But amid the breakthroughs, we must ensure people remain at the heart of this transformation.
Now is the moment for business owners, team leaders, and professionals across our region to unite behind the Human-First Responsible AI Pledge© and commit to ethical, transparent, and inclusive AI adoption.
By putting people before platforms, the North East can not only power Britain’s AI future but shape it with humanity, purpose, and trust.
For more information about the AI Pledge and how to get involved contact Pascal Fintoni pascal@pascalfintoni.com