About this Event
Speakers
Keynote Opening: Julia Adamson, Executive Director, BCS
Debate Chair: Rubi Kaur, Chief Enterprise Architect, Inclusion Officer, BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group
Amy Low, CEO of AbilityNet
Dr Lucy Caton, Lead for Centre of AI in Education and Senior Lecturer, University of Greater Manchester
Melanie Calver, Senior IT & Digital Leader, BCSWomen Specialist Group Member and Executive Coach
*Additional speaker to be announced shortly
Agenda
12:00 - Event start with Opening Address by Julia Adamson, Executive Director of BCS
12:05 - Debate begins
13:00 - Debate ends, AGM starts
13:30 - AGM ends, lunch and networking for those attending in person
14:30 - Event close
Synopsis
As AI becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, could the AI Divide become an even greater challenge than the Digital Divide?
This debate will explore how access, identity, safety and inclusion intersect in the age of AI. The speakers will consider whether AI risks deepening existing inequalities and further disadvantaging people who are already digitally excluded - as well as those who may be online but lack the skills, confidence or support to benefit from AI safely.
The debate will examine two key motions: whether the AI Divide presents a greater challenge than the Digital Divide, and whether closing it is a societal responsibility rather than solely a technological one.
It will also consider the role of professional bodies such as BCS, alongside government, businesses, educators and civil society in ensuring that AI benefits everyone, not only the digitally advantaged. Join us to challenge assumptions, hear different perspectives and build a more joined-up understanding of our collective responsibility for creating a safe and inclusive AI-enabled society.
This is followed by the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group's AGM. This hybrid event will take place at the BCS London office on 14 October, from 12:00 to 13:30, followed by lunch and networking.
About the speakers
Julia Adamson MBE FBCS CITP, Executive Director, Education and Public Benefit
Julia leads BCS’ education and public benefit strategy, driving national efforts to equip young people with the digital skills they need to thrive. She oversees key programmes including the Barefoot Computing initiative, which has reached over 3.5 million children, and the Computing at School (CAS) network, supporting more than 25,000 teachers.
Julia played a central role in establishing the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), an £84 million government-funded programme to upskill educators and embed computing in schools.
With over two decades of experience in education and edtech, Julia began her career as a teacher in Cheshire before taking on leadership roles at MGL and South West Grid for Learning, where she focused on safe digital transformation.
She joined BCS in 2017 and has held a range of senior roles across education, policy, and public engagement.
Julia is a Trustee of the Blackdown Education Partnership and contributes to national advisory panels focused on digital inclusion and diversity in tech. She was awarded an MBE in 2023 for Services to Education.
Rubi Kaur (Debate Chair)
Rubi Kaur is Chief Enterprise Architect, Fellow of BCS, and Inclusion Officer at the DD SG Rubi Kaur is an experienced Chief Enterprise Architect with over 25 years of technical leadership across Lloyds Banking Group, Vodafone, BT, O2, and the UK Government.
She has led award-winning teams, including recipients of the Business Green IT Team of the Year and the UK Government Finance Award for Sustainability. Rubi is passionate about architecting inclusive, ethical, and responsible digital technology and ensuring all voices are heard.
For four consecutive years, she has been recognized in the Computer Weekly list of Most Influential Women in Technology.
Amy Low, CEO of AbilityNet
Amy Low is Chief Executive Officer of AbilityNet, the UK charity working towards a digital world accessible to all. Since joining the organisation in 2016, she has led its growth as a leading voice in digital accessibility, inclusion and participation, helping businesses, government and charities create more accessible digital experiences and supporting many tens of thousands of people to benefit from technology and digital participation.
Amy is a member of the ActionAble Advisory Board, serves on the Expert Partner Group for The Connection Project, sits on DSIT's Digital Inclusion Action Committee Inclusive Digital Services Subcommittee, and is a Community Board Member of the Digital Poverty Alliance. She was recognised in Computer Weekly's top 50 Most Influential Women in UK Technology and named to the Forbes Accessibility 200 List in 2026.
Dr Lucy Caton, Lead for Centre of AI in Education and Senior Lecturer, University of Greater Manchester
Dr Lucy Caton is the Lead for the Centre of AI in Education and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greater Manchester. Her current research focuses on the use of generative AI to support metacognitive processes for neurodivergent students—particularly those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream primary and secondary school settings. She is co-editor of the Routledge publication AI-Powered Pedagogy: Practical Insights for Educators, released in September 2025.
Dr Caton also chairs and organises the annual AI in Education Symposium, a cross-sector event that showcases innovative, educator-led practices in the use of generative AI in classrooms. The symposium is designed to amplify the voices of practitioners and key stakeholders, fostering collaboration and advancing understanding of AI’s evolving role in education. Dr Caton advises on the new Pearson Education and Anthropic AI Pioneers Programme, which is a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology funded project working with schools in areas of low social and economic deprivation to develop an AI revision tool for Key Stage 4.
Melanie Calver, Senior IT & Digital Leader, BCSWomen Specialist Group Member and Executive Coach
Having been immersed in technology since the age of 8, Melanie Calver brings over two decades of hands-on and strategic experience across the IT and data landscape. Holding a BSc (Hons) in Information Systems, Melanie has led multi-million-pound digital, cloud, and data transformation programmes across public sector and enterprise environments.
As an Enterprise Account Manager at Catalyst BI, a certified executive coach (PG-Cert), and an active mentor, she bridges technical architecture with practical human impact. On a personal level, Melanie harnesses daily consumer tech and digital frameworks to navigate and manage neurodiversity within her household. Melanie is a member of BCS Women SG, and brings a "technology-first" perspective in demonstrating how robust digital foundations, data governance, and inclusive tech design are essential drivers for solving societal challenges in the age of AI.
Our events are for adults aged 16 years and over.
This meeting is conducted in accordance with the BCS Code of Conduct for Meetings.
BCS is a membership organisation. If you enjoy this event, please consider joining BCS. You’ll be very welcome. You’ll receive access to many exclusive career development tools, an introduction to a thriving professional community and also help us Make IT Good For Society.
If you are attending in person, please familiarise yourself with the Visitor Instructions for the BCS London Office.
Please note, if you have any accessibility needs, please let us know via [email protected], and we’ll work with you to make suitable arrangements.
BCS privacy notice: your data will be processed by BCS in accordance with our data privacy notice.
Photography: by attending this event, you may be photographed or filmed. Please speak to a member of staff if you do not wish to be included.
For overseas delegates who wish to attend the event, please note that BCS does not issue invitation letters.
This event is brought to you by: Digital Divide specialist group
Supported by: BCSWomen SG and EMBRACE specialist group
Event venue & nearby stays
BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, 25 Copthall Ave, London, United Kingdom
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