Book IWD Speaker: Kay Firth-Butterfield

The First Global Head of AI & Machine Learning for the World Economic Forum, CEO of the Good Tech Advisory & Founder of the Responsible AI Institute

Kay Firth-Butterfield has spent her career on the front line of artificial intelligence, ethics, and leadership. She began her professional life in the UK legal system, becoming a Judge for the Ministry of Justice in 1998. Her early grounding in law and human rights shaped a career defined by responsibility, public impact, and a steady commitment to fairness. Over the next two decades, she moved through influential roles, from becoming a Barrister and Master of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court in 2008 to serving as North American Ambassador for the Consortium for Street Children. Each step built her reputation as a thoughtful, principled leader.

Her shift into technology came as AI began transforming global industries. By 2014, she was leading ethics work for Lucid AI, and within a few years, she was a Distinguished Scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Law School, and the Founding Advocate of AI-Austin. In 2017, she took on one of the most influential roles in global technology governance as Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at the World Economic Forum. She joined the Forum’s Executive Committee, advised Parliamentary groups, and supported early frameworks for responsible robotics. A clear example of her influence came when Satya Nadella invited her to join a Microsoft panel and provide direct advice on AI’s future direction.

Her work now spans senior advisory and governance roles across the world. She leads the Good Tech Advisory as CEO, served as Executive Director of the Centre for Trustworthy Technology, and holds a Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Texas. In 2024, she joined the advisory boards of Fathom.org and Swiss RE. That same year, she was named on Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Innovation list, the Marquis Who’s Who Emerging Innovators to Watch, and received the TIME100 AI Impact Award. She also appeared in a fireside chat at Davos during the Cognizant Chalet programme.

Kay is regularly chosen to speak at International Women’s Day events because she brings a rare blend of authority, clarity, and humanity. She shows audiences how women are shaping the future of AI, and why ethical leadership matters in every sector. She has been recognised by the New York Times as one of the 10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership, a reflection of her impact and the example she sets. Her talks help organisations see both the opportunity and the responsibility that come with new technology.

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