Tech Tomorrow

• Can executives balance AI innovation with societal responsibility with Lord Clement-Jones

  As artificial intelligence continues to redefine industries, the question isn’t just what we can build, but what we should. In a world of accelerating automation and algorithmic decision-making, can leaders harness innovation without losing public trust?In this episode of Tech Tomorrow, David Elliman speaks with Lord Clement-Jones, Liberal Democrat peer, former Chair of the House of Lords AI Select Committee, and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on AI. Together, they explore how business leaders can align technological progress with human values and why doing so is not just ethical but essential for sustainable innovation.They unpack what ‘responsible AI’ really means in practice: from explainability and human oversight to data quality, fairness, and transparent governance. Lord Clement-Jones argues that regulation, far from stifling innovation, can actually enable it by creating the trust, certainty, and accountability businesses need to adopt AI confidently.The discussion also explores the roles of boards and executive committees, including why AI literacy is now a core competency, how to establish effective oversight mechanisms, and what it means to integrate ethics into AI design rather than retrofit it later. Drawing on his book Living with the Algorithm: Servant or Master?, Lord Clement-Jones reflects on how technology should serve humanity, not the other way around, and why progress must be measured by its benefits to people, not just profit.Episode Highlights:01:39 – Introducing Lord Clement-Jones.03:45 – Why Lord Clement-Jones decided to write Living with the Algorithm: Servant or Master.06:03 – What is the biggest risk that boards face if they don’t take into account societal responsibility in relation to AI?07:20 – David’s thoughts: Steps boards and executives can take to ensure they implement useful and trusted AI tools.08:39 – Defining ethical frameworks in AI.10:21 – What sort of skill sets do boards need to help them work effectively with AI?11:31 – What can boards and executive committees do to ensure they are implementing AI tools ethically?13:25 – The problem with black-box solutions.15:56 – David’s thoughts: The impossibility of retrofitting responsibility into AI systems.17:39 – Changing the culture around AI implementation.20:06 – Why Lord Clement-Jones included the subtitle Servant or Master in his book title.23:14 – David’s thoughts: The three pillars of responsible AI.25:26 – The current political landscape and how AI regulation fits into it.27:16 – Can executives balance AI innovation with societal responsibility?About Zühlke:Zühlke is a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation at its core. We help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – running smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities.Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in technology strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We thrive in complex, regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance, connecting strategy, implementation, and operations to help clients build more effective and resilient businesses.Links:Zühlke WebsiteZühlke on LinkedInDavid Elliman on LinkedInLord Clement-Jones WebsiteLiving with the Algorithm: Servant or Master? AI Governance and Policy for the Future

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• Will AI and digital twins make animal testing in drug discovery obsolete with Professor Julie Frearson

  AI and digital twins are redrawing the boundaries of drug discovery. Once defined by lab benches, animal studies, and years of trial and error, the field is now embracing virtual methodologies that promise faster, safer, and more precise innovation. But could these technologies ever make animal testing obsolete?In this episode of Tech Tomorrow, David Elliman speaks with Professor Julie Frearson, SVP and Chief Scientific Officer at Charles River Laboratories, about how artificial intelligence is transforming early-stage drug discovery. Julie explains how AI is already accelerating small-molecule design and enabling the use of virtual control animals, reducing the need for live testing without compromising scientific integrity.They also unpack the growing challenges of explainability, bias, and regulation in AI-driven science. From ensuring transparency and accountability in complex models to understanding how regulators like the FDA are beginning to accept hybrid data sets that combine in vivo results with AI predictions, the discussion balances optimism with realism in a rapidly evolving field.Ultimately, Professor Julie and David agree that while AI is reshaping discovery, humans must remain firmly in the loop. For now, it is the only way to ensure that innovation remains both ethical, trustworthy, and safe.Episode Highlights:01:31 – Areas of drug discovery already transformed by AI and digital twins.03:25 – Digital twins in animal testing and the creation of “virtual animals.”05:50 – David’s thoughts: What executives often get wrong about digital twins.07:30 – How digital twins accurately recreate parts of animals.10:11 – How regulation currently views AI models in drug discovery.13:30 – The timeline for regulators to become more comfortable with hybrid data sets.14:37 – David’s thoughts: How ‘black box’ AI processes create challenges, and how to address them.16:31 – The role of humans in the drug discovery loop.17:37 – Will technology outpace regulation?20:34 – Could AI and digital twins make animal testing in drug discovery obsolete?About Zühlke:Zühlke is a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation at its core. We help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – running smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities.Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in technology strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We thrive in complex, regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance, connecting strategy, implementation, and operations to help clients build more effective and resilient businesses.Links:Zühlke WebsiteZühlke on LinkedInDavid Elliman on LinkedInProfessor Julie Frearson on LinkedInCharles River Laboratories Website

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• Will the next biotech breakthrough be digital before it’s biological with Bibi Ephraim

  AI is transforming biotechnology from the inside out. What was once a world of petri dishes and pipettes is now increasingly powered by algorithms, models, and digital twins. But as machine learning accelerates drug discovery and reshapes clinical trials, how far can we go before biology itself becomes the follower, not the leader?In this episode of Tech Tomorrow, David Elliman speaks with Bibi Ephraim, Head of Digital Sciences at Genentech, about how artificial intelligence is redefining the biotech landscape. They explore how data-driven approaches are rapidly compressing timelines in drug discovery, enabling precision medicine, and even simulating virtual clinical trials.They also tackle the cultural and organisational transformations needed to make digital biotech work; from breaking down data silos and fostering collaboration across competitors, to treating data as a product and investing in strong governance. Drawing parallels with digital transformation in other industries, they ask what it will take for biotech to move from project-based to product-based innovation, and why pre-competitive collaboration could unlock the next generation of cures.Episode Highlights:01:40 – What do AI, data science, and digital governance in the biotech landscape look like today?03:06 – Biotech and the data foundations needed for transformation.04:52 – Examples of successful data-driven approaches in biotech.08:10 – Will parts of the medical process be completely handed over to AI?09:39 – David’s thoughts: The importance of sustained, iterative innovation.11:49 – The biggest mistake Bibi sees executives make in relation to data.13:08 – The huge issue of low-quality data.14:59 – Data sharing is critical in this field.19:03 – David’s thoughts: How pre-competitive collaboration benefits everyone.21:17 – Is biotech reaching a standardisation tipping point?24:11 – Can biotech scale digitally and effectively?26:30 – Will the next biotech breakthrough be digital before it’s biological?28:33 – If digitalisation expands, will researchers miss the “happy accidents” of drug discovery?About Zühlke:Zühlke is a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation at its core. We help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – running smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities.Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in technology strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We thrive in complex, regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance, connecting strategy, implementation, and operations to help clients build more effective and resilient businesses.Links:Zühlke WebsiteZühlke on LinkedInDavid Elliman on LinkedInBibi Ephraim on LinkedInGenentech Website

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• Is net zero even possible without open data with Gavin Starks

  The UK’s 2025 Data Act marks a turning point in how data is shared and governed. Just as common standards in telecoms and banking unlocked innovation, trusted data could be the key to credible climate action. But with carbon reporting fragmented and confidence in the numbers low, can open data really help us reach net zero?In this episode of Tech Tomorrow, David Elliman speaks with Gavin Starks, founder of Icebreaker One, about why net zero is impossible without shared, reliable data. They draw lessons from open banking—how standards, governance, and collaboration turned a technical challenge into a multi-billion-pound ecosystem—and ask what it would take to do the same for climate.They also spotlight Icebreaker One’s project Perseus, which is building the data infrastructure to automate SME sustainability reporting and connect emissions data directly with green finance. By cutting friction for small businesses and giving banks numbers they can trust, Perseus shows how shared data can turn compliance into opportunity.Episode Highlights:01:00 – An introduction to Gavin.01:25 – When we talk about open data in the context of climate action, what do we actually mean?04:17 – The parallels between open banking and net zero.06:25 – David’s thoughts: Finding clarity in carbon reporting.07:47  – The current crisis in carbon reporting.11:05  – When it comes to getting this right, 90% of the work is governance.13:37  – David’s thoughts: The power of narrow use cases.15:02  – Why open banking was a success.16:54  – When it comes to sustainability, compliance should really be the floor and opportunity should be the ceiling.19:04  – David’s thoughts: The 2025 UK Data Act.20:43  – Why 2025 is an inflection point for data in the UK.22:57  – What does Gavin think will happen next?25:53 – Is net zero even possible without open data?About Zühlke:Zühlke is a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation at its core. We help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – running smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities.Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in technology strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We thrive in complex, regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance, connecting strategy, implementation, and operations to help clients build more effective and resilient businesses.Links:Zühlke WebsiteZühlke on LinkedInDavid Elliman on LinkedInGavin Starks on LinkedInIcebreaker One WebsitePersus Website

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• Is the global food crisis a problem that only tech can solve with Illtud Dunsford

  According to the United Nations, the world’s population is projected to exceed 9.5 billion by 2050, placing unprecedented strain on our food systems. Climate change, land scarcity, and rising demand for protein mean that traditional agriculture alone may no longer be enough. Could cultivated meat and other food technologies provide the answer?In this episode of Tech Tomorrow, David Elliman speaks with Illtud Dunsford, CEO and co-founder of Cellular Agriculture Ltd, about the promise and limitations of lab-grown foods. Together, they explore whether technology alone can solve the global food crisis or whether the deeper challenge lies in human choices and culture.They also discuss the parallels between scaling in biotech and software engineering. How ambitious visions must be broken into achievable steps, the risks of hype cycles, and why collaboration across disciplines is essential. Just as DevOps reshaped software delivery, cultivated foods may depend on breaking down silos.Episode Highlights:01:49 – What is cultivated meat?02:46 – How cultivated meat may help optimise and reduce waste.04:03 – How the extremities of technology and ideas help us push forward.05:02 – David’s thoughts: What does pushing the boundaries look like in software engineering?06:21 – The story of Cellular Agriculture Ltd and how their technology works.09:53 – Where is the cultivated meat industry today?11:45 – David’s thoughts: Are long R&D cycles necessary for software engineers?12:31 – What challenges are cultivated foods trying to tackle?16:29 – What’s stopping this technology from expanding?18:35 – How long is it going to take for this technology to reach an inflection point?20:13 – David’s thoughts: Why cross-collaboration is so important in software engineering.22:34 – What does the future of cultivated food look like?25:03 – What could we miss about this field if we only concentrate on the technology?27:58 – Is the global food crisis a problem that only tech can solve?About Zühlke:Zühlke is a global transformation partner, with engineering and innovation at its core. We help clients envision and build their businesses for the future – running smarter today while adapting for tomorrow’s markets, customers, and communities.Our multidisciplinary teams specialise in technology strategy and business innovation, digital solutions and applications, and device and systems engineering. We thrive in complex, regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance, connecting strategy, implementation, and operations to help clients build more effective and resilient businesses.Links:Zühlke WebsiteZühlke on LinkedInDavid Elliman on LinkedInIlltud Dunsford on LinkedInCellular Agriculture Ltd Website

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