Researchers from Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy are part of a £31 million consortium to create a UK and international research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI.
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
Gina Neff
The announcement was made by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which, as part of London Tech Week, 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 the announcement package, £31 million has been awarded to Responsible AI UK, a large 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 at Southampton, 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, 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 bring coherence to the AI ecosystem across the whole of the UK. It will work closely with policymakers to provide evidence for future policy and regulation, as well as guidance for businesses in deploying AI solutions responsibly.
The consortium's activities will encompass large-scale research programmes, 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.
Adapted from a news story by the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy
