How can an independent safety evaluation remain meaningful when the AI inside a product may change after its next update?
In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I speak with Dr. Robert Slone, Senior Vice President, Chief Scientist, and Innovation Officer at UL Solutions. Robert has spent almost 30 years leading science, research, product development, and innovation teams. He now helps guide UL Solutions' scientific work across safety, security, and sustainability.
Many listeners will recognize the UL Mark without knowing what happens behind it. Robert explains how UL Solutions tests products to their limits, which can involve setting them on fire, finding their breaking points, inspecting manufacturing facilities, and determining whether they meet defined safety requirements.
That work began over 130 years ago when electricity was introducing unfamiliar risks. Today, the same broad question applies to artificial intelligence: how can society benefit from a new technology while understanding and managing the harm it could cause?
The need is becoming increasingly visible as AI moves into healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, financial services, infrastructure, and consumer products. Robert recalls being approached about evaluating an AI-enabled teddy bear capable of talking with children. It is a memorable example of how decisions made inside an AI model can reach directly into everyday life.
Robert organizes AI product safety around three pillars. The technical pillar considers robustness, risk management, functional safety, and whether the system performs its intended purpose. The ethical pillar includes fairness, bias, privacy, transparency, and explainability. Governance covers data management, product updates, accountability, and the complete operating life of the system.
We also discuss one of the hardest problems in AI certification. Traditional products and software can be evaluated against a defined version, but AI systems may be updated, retrained, or affected by changing data. Robert explains why meaningful safety assurance requires version-specific testing, annual reviews, disclosure of significant changes, and eventually telemetry capable of identifying problems much closer to real time.
For business leaders buying AI, the conversation provides a practical vendor checklist. Where did the training data come from? How was performance measured? What are the system's known limitations? How were privacy and bias assessed? Who takes responsibility if its behavior changes?
Independent testing cannot promise that an evolving product will remain safe forever. It can provide evidence about the version evaluated, expose gaps, establish accountability, and create a process for monitoring future changes.
What proof would you demand before allowing an AI product to influence an employee, patient, customer, or child? Listen to the episode and share your thoughts with me.