Research network for ethical AI launched in the UK

A humanities-led network of researchers has set out to establish a multidisciplinary base around the development of ethical artificial intelligence (AI).

The Just AI network will build on research in AI ethics, orienting it around the practical issues of social justice, distribution, and governance and design.

Its aim is to connect researchers and practitioners from a range of disciplines – including philosophy, law, media and communications, human-computer interaction, ethnography, user-centred design, data science, and computer and social sciences – to identify opportunities for collaborative, interdisciplinary work.

The initiative is being led by the Ada Lovelace Institute, an independent data and AI think tank, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and will also seek to inform the development of policy and best practice around the use of AI.

“The Just AI network will help ensure the development and deployment of AI and data-driven technologies serves the common good by connecting research on technical solutions with understanding of social and ethical values and impact,” said Carly Kind, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute. “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with the AHRC and with Alison Powell, whose expertise in the interrelationships between people, technology and ethics make her the ideal candidate to lead the Just AI network.”

Powell, who works at the London School of Economics (LSE), specifically researches how people’s values influence how technology is built, as well as how it changes the way we live and work. She’s currently working on several projects related to citizenship, internet of things-enabled cities, data and ethics.

“By looking at how ethics is practised, and connecting a range of disciplinary and practical perspectives, we can cut through the noise and start to make an influence in this area,” said Powell.

By establishing the network, it’s hoped that the researchers will be able to create a common infrastructure that will form the basis for future collaboration, and that connecting different approaches will identify ways to translate evidence into practical guidance, regulation and design.

The network will also deliver a programme of activity, including workshops, written and creative outputs, and peer-reviewed articles, it’s claimed.

“There’s no doubt that the development and use of artificial intelligence has the potential to transform our lives, but for society to use and benefit from it, we need to be assured that AI technologies are being developed and deployed in responsible and ethical ways,” said professor Edward Harcourt, director of research, strategy and innovation at AHRC.

“This network is a vital step in the right direction towards achieving that, integrating expertise to understand and challenge the ethical and social risks and impacts of data and AI.”

The network will initially operate for one year, and recruitment for a postdoctoral research officer to support the network is open until 12 February.