Cameron takes adviser role at tech firm Afiniti
DAVID CAMERON has been hired by Afiniti International, the US artificial intelligence company that Princess Beatrice works for, to chair its advisory board.
The Washington-based business, which provides software for call centres, has a host of notable names on the supervisory board, including the former prime minister of France Francois Fillon, ex-bp chief executive Lord Browne, retired US chief of staff admiral Michael Mullen and Elisabeth Murdoch, the daughter of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Afiniti was founded in 2005 by Zia Chishti, a former Morgan Stanley banker, and has developed an artificial intelligence system that matches agents to customers. Its software is used by firms such Sky and Virgin Media.
The company has looked at listing in the US, filing an intention to float in 2016. Last October, however, it raised $130m (£100m) from private investors in a Series D funding round, landing a valuation of $1.6bn.
Backers include the former Verizon chief executive Ivan Seidenberg and Fred Ryan, the chief executive of The Washington Post, as well as former Thomson Reuters boss Tom Glocer, who is also on the supervisory board.
Mr Chishti, chairman and chief executive, said: “Our advisory board has a diverse array of senior business and political leaders who provide invaluable guidance to the company as we expand around the world.
“David’s deep personal commitment to this issue makes him perfectly placed to lead our advisory board and support Afiniti in our next stage of growth.”
Mr Cameron said he had been “exploring developments in artificial intelligence for some time to better understand how industry and policymakers can collaborate in solving these challenges and ensuring that AI serves people’s everyday lives”.
“I was excited to see the rapid development in AI and the huge potential AI has to address some of the challenges that societies face today,” he said.
The role at Afiniti is not the only position Mr Cameron holds. Others include a consultant role with US genomics company Illumina and a position as vice chairman at the Uk-china fund, seeking to boost co-operation between the countries.