Transparency data

Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation Minutes - Advisory Board Meeting 2

Updated 12 October 2023

This transparency data was withdrawn on

This content is no longer current. The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) Advisory Board closed on 9 September 2023.

© Crown copyright 2023

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.

This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/board-meeting-agendas-and-minutes/centre-for-data-ethics-and-innovation-minutes-advisory-board-meeting-2

25th January 2022

Virtual Advisory Board Meeting

Attendees:

  • Edwina Dunn - Interim Chair
  • Dr Rumman Chowdhury
  • Jack Clark
  • Eddie Copeland
  • Martin Hosken
  • Prof Neil Lawrence
  • Dr Marion Oswald
  • James Plunkett
  • Dr Adrian Weller
  • Dr Mimi Zou

Apologies:

  • Jessica Lennard
  • Baroness Kate Rock
  • Richard Sargeant

Guests (Office for AI):

  • Nick Swanson, Deputy Head, Office for Artificial Intelligence

CDEI Staff:

  • Felicity Burch (FB)
  • Louise Sheridan (LS)
  • Sam Cannicott (SC)
  • Team Leads
  • CDEI Team Members

Item 1: Welcome

The interim Chair welcomed the Advisory Board to the remote meeting. No new interests were declared. She advised that Prof Neil Lawrence had been appointed to the Advisory Board, and ran through the meeting’s agenda.

Item 2: CDEI Updates

LS provided a brief update on recent CDEI successes including publications and internal project milestones, and thanked Advisory Board members for their contributions.

The team updated the Advisory Board on how the CDEI is developing its technical expertise. In response the Advisory Board:

  • suggested using the CDEI’s technical expertise to provide practical support to stakeholders implementing data-driven technologies;
  • recommended that we consider alternative models for bringing in technical expertise, for example, secondments.

Item 3: International Strategy

The team introduced CDEI’s International Strategy, specifically the approach to the UK-US PETs Prize Challenge, a priority project. In response the Advisory Board:

  • offered feedback on the countries in CDEI’s priority list and discussed the viability of meaningfully engaging with third countries;
  • reinforced just how innovative the CDEI’s approach to the PETs Prize Challenge is and commended CDEI’s willingness to push boundaries in this space. They felt it was important that the PETs Prize Challenge, which is currently being scoped, focuses on achieving outputs that are of value in the real-world.

Item 4: AI Governance White Paper

Nick Swanson, Deputy Head of the Office for AI, provided context and objectives of the AI Governance White Paper. The CDEI team talked the Advisory Board through discrete elements that the CDEI is helping to shape. Members spoke positively of the proposed options for AI Governance.

Item 5: Project Pipeline Generation

FB presented her long-term vision for the CDEI to play a catalytic role in driving responsible innovation and shifting the partnership model towards long-lasting impact, tangible systemic changes, and working on multi-party projects within government priorities. The Advisory Board welcomed the vision.

SC talked the Advisory Board through CDEI’s work to date within ‘Levelling Up’ and Net Zero, which was followed by a discussion on how we could evolve our work programme in these areas. The Advisory Board recommended focusing projects on long-term policy, for example, social mobility.

For the Levelling Up discussion, the Advisory Board:

  • provided comments on a number of specific projects that fall under this programme;
  • noted that, while often positive, introducing tech into local settings can exacerbate inequalities, and stressed the importance of engaging with people on the front line that are close to the problem that AI/ML could solve;
  • voiced support on policing initiatives and listening to different needs in different local settings.

For the Net Zero discussion, the Advisory Board:

  • commented that Smart Cities are an area of great potential, given that there is a lot of cutting-edge technology but local authorities have time constraints, knowledge gaps, and limited practical guidance for implementing them;
  • commented that enabling responsible access to data should be a priority, given that numerous organisations need it;
  • suggested that CDEI could support organisations to meet existing, centrally-set policy targets, such as requirements to make all house building supply chains sustainable.

Item 6: Close

The interim Chair closed the meeting.

Back to top