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Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation Minutes - Advisory Board Meeting 6

Updated 12 October 2023

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This content is no longer current.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

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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-6

7th March 2023

14:00-16:00

Board Attendees:

  • Prof Neil Lawrence - Interim Chair
  • Dr Rumman Chowdhury
  • Martin Hosken
  • Jessica Lennard
  • Dr Marion Oswald
  • Dr Mimi Zou
  • James Plunkett
  • Eddie Copeland

Apologies:

  • Jack Clark

CDEI Attendees:

  • Felicity Burch - Executive Director
  • Louise Sheridan - Deputy Director
  • Team Leads
  • Secretariat

Agenda

Item 1: Welcome

NL welcomed attendees to the meeting. He invited FB to give the Advisory Board an update on major developments at CDEI. FB informed the Advisory Board that CDEI has moved to DSIT (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) and highlighted the opportunities of doing so. She said that the CDEI continues to work with the OAI (Office for Artificial Intelligence) on the development of the AI White Paper and that the CDEI will continue to update the Advisory Board on its progress.

Item 2: Portfolio update

NL invited the team to provide updates against their programmes and the board to offer feedback and advice.

Responsible Data Access (RDA)

The team set out RDA’s activities which will focus on PETs (Privacy Enhancing Technologies) work in the financial year ahead. In response the Advisory Board:

  • Agreed with the CDEI that its PETs work should broaden.
  • Recommended that the CDEI work with sectors that have low PETs adoption rates. They provided specific contacts for the CDEI to explore this further with.

Transparency

The team explained that the CDEI have updated the ARTS (Algorithmic Recording Transparency Standard), the CDEI’s transparency enhancing tool being piloted by public bodies. They said that we are building a repository which acts as a searchable, public database of the transparency records completed by public bodies. In response the Advisory Board:

  • Suggested that the CDEI do more to highlight to public bodies that the repository provides them with the opportunity to share best practice, which will drive an audience for the records.
  • Proposed using some records as case studies, to highlight best practice.
  • Emphasised the importance of using government procurement mechanisms to encourage uptake of the ARTS among public bodies.

AI Assurance

The team provided an update on the programme’s work, focusing on generating public and private sector demand for trusted AI assurance measures and the professionalisation workstream. In response the Advisory Board:

  • Challenged the CDEI’s focus on regulatory compliance as a driver for assurance measures, suggesting that the CDEI might also consider the role of the need for redress.

Strategic projects

The team summarised their work, including some activity to enhance the CDEI Model for Responsible Innovation. In response the Advisory Board:

  • Asked to see the final version of guidance the CDEI is writing for the use of data technology in the context of social care and offered their support on other projects.

Item 3: Project Deepdive

The CDEI team set out options for a potential project that could explore ways to use potentially sensitive demographic data in a way that is fair, reduces bias and respects privacy. In response, the Advisory Board:

  • Broadly agreed that it was essential that any project avoids being too theoretical and focuses on a real-world problem using a lifelike artificial dataset.
  • Suggested that the project focus on issues of bias rather than privacy because of overlap with the CDEI’s existing work.
  • Emphasised the importance of engagement with academia and industry, where possible.
  • Suggested that the CDEI engage potential partners to co-design the project with them.

Item 5: Meeting close

NL closed the meeting.

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