During this year’s London Tech Week, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) today unveiled a suite of AI investments that will bring academic and industry partners together.
Identified by the Government as a critical technology as set out in the UK Science and Technology Framework, AI is a rapidly developing science and technology area with massive potential benefits to the economy and society.
As part of this announcement package, £31 million has been awarded to a large consortium called Responsible AI UK (www.rai.ac.uk), led by the University of Southampton, that aims to create a UK and international research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI that will be responsive to the needs of society.
Led by Professor Gopal Ramchurn, the consortium will pioneer a reflective, inclusive approach to responsible AI development, working across universities, businesses, public and third sectors and the general public. It will fund multi-disciplinary research that helps us understand what responsible and trustworthy AI is, how to develop it and build it into existing systems, and the impacts it will have on society.
Gina Neff, Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge, will direct the strategy group for RAI UK.
Speaking about the launch, Gina Neff said:
‘I am delighted be a part of RAI UK. We will work to link Britain’s world-leading responsible AI ecosystem and lead a national conversation around AI, to ensure that responsible and trustworthy AI can power benefits for everyone.’
The consortium will convene national conversations on responsible AI and help cohere the AI ecosystem across the whole of the UK. They will work closely with policymakers to provide evidence for future policy and regulation, as well as guidance for businesses in deploying AI solutions responsibly.
Their activities will encompass large-scale research programs, collaborations between academics and businesses, skills programmes for the public and industry, and the publication of white papers outlining approaches for the UK and global AI landscape.
Find out more about RAI UK on their website.
For press enquiries, please contact Jeremy Hughes, External Affairs Manager, Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, University of Cambridge.
This blog has been reposted with kind permission from the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy.
About the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy
The Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy is an independent team of academic researchers at the University of Cambridge, radically rethinking the power relationships between digital technologies, society and our planet. The centre is based in CRASSH.
More information on the UK Government announcements today on Responsible AI
About UK Research and Innovation
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the UK’s largest public funder of research and innovation and is composed of seven disciplinary research councils, Innovate UK and Research England. Annually, we invest more than £8 billion to advance our understanding of people and the world around us and deliver benefits for society, the economy and the environment. Working in partnership, we aim to shape a more connected and agile research and innovation system in the UK that is an integral part of society, giving everyone the opportunity to participate and to benefit. Find out more in our new 5-year strategy, Transforming Tomorrow Together.
