New funding is announced today to help propel the UK to the forefront of advanced artificial intelligence research.

Nine AI hubs across the UK have been funded by The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). While a further 10 scoping studies, including one led by the University of Glasgow, have been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), also part of UKRI, that will help to define responsible AI across education, policing and the creative industries.

The 10 six-month scoping projects, supported with £2 million AHRC funding through the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme, will define what responsible AI is across sectors such as education, policing and the creative industries.

The projects will produce early-stage research and recommendations to inform future work in this area. They illustrate how the UK is at the forefront of defining responsible AI and exploring how it can be embedded across key sectors.

The University of Glasgow led project is called “iREAL: Inclusive Requirements Elicitation for AI in Libraries to Support Respectful Management of Indigenous Knowledges”. iREAL will develop a model for responsible AI systems development in libraries seeking to include knowledge from Indigenous communities, specifically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

The AI libraries project includes academics from Glasgow, King’s College London and the University of Technology Sydney in partnership with Digital Preservation Coalition.

Professor Paul Gooding, Information Studies, University of Glasgow and Principal investigator on iREAL said: “The impact of AI is already being felt across libraries, but we still lack an understanding of how AI systems impact on the communities who were responsible for creating the materials upon which those systems rely. This project therefore aims to include Indigenous communities in the creation and critique of AI systems development in libraries. Research of this nature is vital in helping libraries to deploy Artificial Intelligence to their collections and practices in a way that is compatible with the principles of Responsible AI and Indigenous data governance.

“I’m delighted to be working with this highly interdisciplinary team to work on an issue of great importance to both libraries and Indigenous communities.”

In addition to the scoping projects AHRC are confirming a further £7.6 million to fund a second phase of the BRAID programme, extending activities to 2027/28. The next phase will include a new cohort of large-scale demonstrator projects, further rounds of BRAID Fellowships, and new professional AI skills provisions, co-developed with industry and other partners.

Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council and UKRI International Champion said: “The impact of AI can already be felt in many areas of our lives.  It will transform our jobs and livelihoods, and impact on areas as diverse as education, policing and the creative industries, and much more besides.  UKRI’s research will be at the heart of understanding this new world.

“The research which AHRC announced today will provide lasting contributions to the definition and practice of responsible AI, informing the practice and tools that are crucial to ensure this transformative technology provides benefits for all of society.”

iREAL Project Partners:  

Project Lead is University of Glasgow: PI is Professor Paul Gooding - Research Profile and Co-I is Dr Rosie Spooner - Research Profile. Project Co-Lead (UK) is King’s College London (KCL): Co-I is Samantha Callaghan (King’s Digital Lab, KCL). Project Co-Lead (International) is University of Technology Sydney: International Co-I’s are Dr. Kirsten Thorpe and Lauren Booker. Project partner is Digital Preservation Coalition - Robin Wright (Head Australasia and Asia-Pacific, DPC). 

Project summary: 

UK and Australian libraries often hold collections from many Indigenous communities, each with its own perspective on data govenance. Institutions, researchers, Artificial Intelligence systems developers and library professionals must therefore understand their responsibilities when incorporating data sourced from Indigenous communities into library AI systems.To date, there have been hugely valuable interventions by Indigenous researchers into both AI design, and library practices, but these are yet to be applied together to AI in the library sector.

iREAl will develop a model for responsible Artificial Intelligence systems development in libraries seeking to include knowledge from Indigenous communities, specifically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

iREAL is a six-month scoping project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, via the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme. 

First published: 6 February 2024

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