A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue — on AI, technology, and the questions that actually matter.
"The question is no longer whether to engage with AI. It is how to do so without repeating the mistakes of every previous technology wave."
Tim Baker · TCB Consulting Ltd, Jersey
A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue
AI presents a genuine opportunity for governments to improve efficiency and public services — but adopting it is not a simple technical upgrade. This article examines the demonstrated benefits, the real risks, and the guiding principles that help government bodies ask the right questions before they commit to riding the tiger.
A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue
We are using one term — AI — to describe two fundamentally different things. Cloud AI and On-Premise AI are not in the same category of risk, cost, or capability. For most Jersey businesses, the conversation should not be about whether to use AI, but which type to use for which task.
A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue
You cannot use the most powerful AI tools without putting your data into them, and you cannot put your data into them without risking its confidentiality. For Jersey's trust companies, law firms, banks, and government departments, this creates an impossible choice. The article examines the legal conflict between GDPR and the US CLOUD Act, a landmark February 2026 US court ruling on AI and legal privilege, and the practical mitigations available.
A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue
Most organisations know they need to engage with AI but are paralysed by the scale of the question. This article replaces the blank page of endless questions with a practical framework: start with the problem, assess your readiness honestly, run a disciplined pilot, and build governance from the outset.
A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue
For the first time in my career, the speed at which we can now build sophisticated, custom software systems is genuinely astonishing. But a profound and largely unrecognised danger has emerged alongside these benefits — the intellectual property generated during an AI-assisted project is currently being locked inside the AI account of whoever is doing the work. When that relationship ends, the client retains the product but loses the brain that built it.
A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue
When a mature organisation confronts AI, the result is often paralysis — not from ignorance, but from abundance. Too many questions, too many stakeholders, too many perceived risks. Tim Baker examines the ownership vacuum that causes most AI initiatives to die before they start.
A converted sceptic with 40 years of scar tissue
AI is simultaneously a great enabler and a potential destroyer. Tim Baker, a self-described converted sceptic, reflects on the moment he stopped dismissing AI and started grappling with it — and explains why this series of articles exists.