Putting Human Safety at the Centre of Technology: Dr Laura Bishop, British Standards Institution
Dr Laura Bishop is a psychologist who works at the intersection of technology and human vulnerability, and has spent her career ensuring that the former does not come at the expense of the latter. Across AI, robotics, immersive technology and cyber security, she has led and influenced initiatives that make technology safer, more ethical and more genuinely beneficial, particularly for those who are most at risk.
At BSI, Laura leads work on AI literacy, age assurance, privacy by design and chatbot safety. Drawing on her background in human factors and cyberpsychology, she approaches technological risk as a psychological safety issue, asking not just what systems can do, but how people actually experience and interact with them. Her work on chatbot safety, for instance, addresses risks that regulation has been slow to catch up with, including emotional dependency, misinformation and the harms that can arise when vulnerable users engage with AI systems designed without their wellbeing in mind.
Her voluntary contribution extends this work into some of the most urgent contexts imaginable. Through SpringAct, a UN-funded charity, Laura provides expert guidance on a trauma-informed AI chatbot supporting domestic violence survivors. Built with privacy and security as core principles, the system includes a hidden evidence vault to help users build the courage to leave safely. Already deployed across multiple countries, the platform is now being expanded to serve communities across the UK.
Laura's influence reaches government at the highest level. As a fellow with the Government Office for Science, she has advised on social media use by under-16s, child interaction with chatbots and emerging risks from AI toys, consistently raising issues, including technological paternalism, addiction and chatbot withdrawal, that others have been slower to identify. She serves on techUK's Robotics Working Group and Emerging Technology Leadership Committee, the All Party Parliamentary Group AI Advisory Board, and works closely with techUK's Justice and Emergency Services Team on digital standards for policing and digital literacy across the justice system.
Her commitment to inclusion is equally longstanding. For over eight years, Laura has supervised students researching safe chatbot use, deepfakes and human decision-making in cyber security, with many going on to receive academic and professional recognition. She champions women and girls in science, mentors young people across multiple technology disciplines and has contributed to UN white papers and represented the UK at G7 level events on AI literacy.
Dr Laura Bishop does not wait for technology to cause harm before acting. She builds the frameworks, standards and safeguards that prevent it, and does so with the rigour, empathy and ambition that the Society Award was designed to honour.
To read more about the techUK President's Awards, visit our page here. Winners will be announced at the techUK Annual Dinner on 30 June.
Read more about our President's Award finalists:
People Award
- Bringing Technology and Purpose Together: Fiona Dawson, Mayden
- Building a Future Where Disability Is No Barrier to Movement: Dr Malik Haddad, Northeastern University London
- Protecting People Online, at Scale: Robin Tombs, Yoti
Society Award
- Protecting Communities Through Intelligence: Clare Elford, Clue Software
- Putting Human Safety at the Centre of Technology: Dr Laura Bishop, British Standards Institution
- Connected Data, Public Value: Vishal Marria, Quantexa
Economy Award
- From Strategy to Production: Steve Chan, Stealth Labs
- Making Technology Work for Small Business: Laura Burley, Xero
- The Genetics Revolution, Made Real: Professor Sir Peter Donnelly, Genomics
Planet Award
- Sustainability by Design: Ray Knight, Atos
- Turning Buildings into Efficiency Engines: Javier Benitez, Colt Technology Services
- Technology in Service of Nature: Isobel Ashbey, Cambridge Consultants
