Transparency data

Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation Minutes - Board Meeting 13

Updated 12 October 2023

This transparency data was withdrawn on 16 October 2023

This content is no longer current.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

27th May 2020

Remote Board Meeting^{[footnote 1]}

Attendees (dialling in)

• Roger Taylor (RT)
• Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft (SC)
• Luciano Floridi (LF)
• Dame Patricia Hodgson (PH)
• Baroness Kate Rock (KR)
• Dame Glenys Stacey (GS)
• Prof Lord Robert Winston (RW)
• Dr Adrian Weller (AW)
• Edwina Dunn (ED)
• Richard Sargeant (RS)
• Dr Susan Liautaud (SL)

Apologies:

• Kriti Sharma (KS)

CDEI Staff:

• Ollie Buckley (OB)
• Mark Durkee (MD)
• Louise Pakseresht (LP)
• Benedict Dellot (BD)
• Sam Canniott (SC)
• Alex Lawrence-Archer (ALA)
• Ben Lyons (BL)
• CDEI Team Members

Item 1: Chair’s Welcome

The Chair (RT) welcomed the Board to the remote meeting. Apologies were given by KS.

The Chair reminded Board Members that their terms as members of the CDEI Board are coming to an end. The Chair will be arranging review meetings with each of them to seek their reflections and feedback as members of the CDEI Board.

Declaration of interests:

• There were no declared interests.

Minutes from previous Board meeting:

• The Board approved the minutes from the previous Board meeting.

Actions:

• CDEI to publish the minutes on gov.uk.
• CDEI team to arrange end of term reviews between the Chair and each Board Member.

Item 2: CDEI Update

OB opened with an update on resourcing, explaining that the recent recruitment drive has now mostly completed and that CDEI staff are beginning to return from secondments to NHSX. OB noted the CDEI’s much increased output of published content since the last Board meeting, highlighting imminent publications of an FRT snapshot, the AI Barometer and the May edition of the COVID-19 Repository, and provided an update on an ongoing discussion about a potential partnership project.

OB also informed the Board of a poll on public attitudes on data ethics issues that the CDEI has commissioned. The Board discussed the update and made the following points:

• The Board welcomed the resourcing updates.
• The Board suggested that CDEI remain well apprised of the Online Harms Bill’s development.
• The Board recognised the quality of the CDEI’s published output. The Board stressed the importance of continuing to play an active and influential role in the government’s COVID-19 response while also ensuring ‘business as usual’ work progresses.
• The Board held a discussion on the scope of one of CDEI’s yet to be announced partnerships. The Board requested further clarity on the outcomes of the project and that its need for Board oversight should be kept under review.

Actions:

• CDEI team to report back on the desired outcomes of a yet to be announced partnership project following further scoping work.

Item 3: Reflection, future of CDEI & Spending Review

OB set out the process the CDEI will need to navigate for the autumn Spending Review. PH was invited to give a summary of the CDEI’s position in the landscape, highlighting the unique position and value of the CDEI, the contributions the CDEI has already made and the benefits the CDEI can provide to society. The Chair set out how the AI Barometer identifies barriers to the ethical deployment of data and AI in the UK and suggested that the CDEI could help address some of them. In response, the Board made the following comments:

• The Board was supportive of the proposed approach to the Spending Review, but requested further specificity in both the actions the CDEI could take to overcome barriers to the rollout of ethical AI as well as who the CDEI engage with as we approach Spending Review.
• The Board discussed the need to demonstrate how the CDEI can contribute to national priorities, such as economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and a successful exit from the EU.
• The Board was in favour of an approach to the Spending Review that is mindful of other players in the data ethics landscape, and demonstrates how the CDEI can play a vital and complementary role.
• The Board discussed the balance between the CDEI’s independence and its proximity to government.

Actions:

• CDEI team to further develop its Spending Review strategy for discussion at the next Board meeting.

Item 4: Initial Work Programme for 2020/21

MD summarised the 2020/21 work programme including the level of resource available to the CDEI to deliver it, the distinction between partnership work and longer-term policy reviews and the need for further refinement of the work programme to ensure that priority projects are delivered. MD provided a high-level outline of each of the long-listed projects. The Board responded with the following comments:

• The Board agreed that the work programme represented an impressive number of diverse projects. The Board suggested CDEI continues to focus the list in view of its strategic priorities.
• The Board also suggested some areas of additional work, including the ethical behaviour of start-ups and training needs in some professions.

Actions:

• CDEI to further refine the list of projects in the work programme.

Item 5: AOB and Closing

The Chair asked the Board if they wished to discuss any other business. The Board provided some additional comments on the drafting and design of the AI Barometer, focusing on presentational elements of the document.

Actions:

• CDEI to finalise the AI Barometer in line with the Board’s comments.

1. The Board meeting happened remotely via online video conference due to Government guidance to work from home, in response to Covid-19, coming into effect from 17th March. ↩