QCon London 2026: Ethical AI Is an Engineering Problem

Editor's take

Clara Higuera, BBVA's Responsible AI Program Lead, argued at QCon London 2026 that ethical AI challenges are fundamentally engineering issues, not solely philosophical ones. She emphasized practical approaches to mitigate AI risks through robust development processes.

This perspective is crucial as organizations like BBVA grapple with deploying AI at scale. Shifting the focus from abstract ethical debates to concrete engineering solutions allows for more actionable strategies to address bias, fairness, and transparency in AI systems, impacting both the development lifecycle and the end-users of these technologies.

Future developments will likely center on the standardization and widespread adoption of these engineering best practices. The effectiveness of these approaches will be tested as AI models become more complex and integrated into critical infrastructure, and continued scrutiny will be needed to ensure they deliver on their promise of responsible deployment.