Gift supports digital gains for all
Global investment firm Baillie Gifford has pledged £5m to support research into the ethical challenges posed by the growing use of data and artificial intelligence.
A research programme based at the University of Edinburgh will address some of the world’s most pressing concerns around emerging technologies, including machine learning, accelerated automation, and financial innovation.
It will also reflect Baillie Gifford support for the University’s belief that data and AI can make a positive impact on people’s lives in the UK and globally.
Informing policy
Areas of investigation, for example, could include the use and regulation of personal data by industry and government, understanding and mitigating the impact of increased automation on the job market, and the challenge of building an ethical framework for introducing driverless cars onto public roads.
Research from the programme will be independent from government but will help to inform policy, laws, and industry standards.
The gift will create the Baillie Gifford Chair and Research Programme into Data and AI Ethics at the University of Edinburgh.
Generous donation
The new programme will be based at the University’s Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI). Upon opening in the city’s former Royal Infirmary in 2021, EFI will be one of the largest centres for interdisciplinary learning and research in Europe.
The Chair will be based in EFI but will work with data scientists and technologists across the University – including in the new Bayes Centre – and with external partners. They will be charged with engaging the public in the challenges and opportunities posed by data and AI.
Tangible benefits
Baillie Gifford’s support extends to a new senior research fellowship and up to 18 PhD students over the next decade. There will also be an annual flagship lecture.
The programme will also help to develop the University’s research, policy and taught curriculum on data and will play an important role in the recently announced City Region Deal’s ambition to make Edinburgh the data capital of Europe.