Agenda

Welcome from host, Nick Kwek, Technology Journalist and Filmmaker

Opening address from Kate Forbes MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, Scottish Government

Albert King, Chief Data Officer, Scottish Government

Professor Virginia Dignum, Professor of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Umeå University

Ensuring the responsible development and use of AI is more than designing systems whose result can be trusted. It is about the way we design them, why we design them, and who is involved in designing them. Technical, societal, institutional and legal methods and tools are need which provide concrete support to AI practitioners, as well as awareness and training to enable participation of all, to ensure the alignment of AI systems with our societies' principles and values. Understanding and shaping the societal impact of AI in all its facets requires a relational perspective, focusing the design and use of AI on asking the ethical question rather than solving an ethical problem.

Nurturing adoption: supporting the growth of early stage AI driven business in Scotland

How best can we support the commercialisation of AI technologies to meet real world needs? The University of Edinburgh has programmes to nurture data-driven entrepreneurs at different stages on their journey from the seed of an idea to scaling globally. As well as supporting both technology transfer from academic research and home grown businesses, the University is also attracting high growth global AI start-ups.

In this panel session, Katy Guthrie and Laura Bernal from the University’s Data-Driven Entrepreneurship programme will be joined by founders of some the companies they have supported, across different sectors including MedTech and ClimateTech. The discussion will focus on the opportunities and challenges for companies using AI, how scaling AI driven business can benefit the people of Scotland and the world and what can be done to stimulate activity and address issues.

Chairs:

• Katy Guthrie, AI Accelerator Programme Manager, Edinburgh Innovations, University of Edinburgh

• Laura Bernal, Venture Builder Incubator Programme Manager, University of Edinburgh

Panel:

• Dr Lorenzo Conti, Founder & Managing Director, Crover

• Xiaoyan Ma, Founder & CEO, Danu Robotics

• Joseph Twigg, CEO, Aveni

• Dr Debbie Wake, CEO and Co-Found, MyWay Digital

Challenges of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI in healthcare

The application of AI technologies in the healthcare sector had the potential to make a significant positive impact for patients and clinicians/healthcare providers alike. Whether it’s enabling speedy analysis of medical images, or predictive functions that facilitate early interventions, or clinical decision support, or automating administrative tasks to improve efficiency, there are a range of areas of healthcare provision where AI can make a difference. However, the stakes are high and the margins for error are low when it comes to a patient’s healthcare. This panel will discuss the challenges of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI in healthcare – touching on algorithmic impact assessments, good ML practices for medical device development and the potential for exacerbating inequalities.

Chair:

• Steph Wright, Head of the Scottish AI Alliance Support Circle

Panel:

• Jenny Brennan, Senior Researcher, Ada Lovelace Institute

• Professor David Lowe, Clinical Director, Scottish Health & Industry Partnership (SHIP)

• Dr Anjali Mazumder, AI and Justice and Human Rights Theme Lead, The Alan Turing Institute

• Dr Chas Nelson, CTO & Director, Gliff.ai

Goodbye shiny robots and glowing brains: Why Better Images of AI matter

Most articles and company literature about AI products use abstract, futuristic or science-fiction-inspired images of AI such as glowing blue brains and shiny humanoid robots. In this workshop we will explore why these images are dangerously misleading and set unrealistic expectations of AI, and what we can do about it.

Join in person or online for some group activities using visual prompts, and discover that everyone can contribute to re-imagining images in order to make them more trustworthy, ethical, inclusive.

We will share and build on some guidelines and ideas, and explain ways to tap into the Better Images of AI project. By the end of the session you should be better able to critique visual narratives around AI, and even to identify and design images that better reflect your AI-related projects and those impacted by them.

Facilitators:

• Tania Duarte, Co-Founder and CEO, We and AI

• Tristan Ferne, Executive Producer, BBC Research & Development

• Patricia Gestoso, Inclusion Strategist, Technologist, and Researcher

AI, Data, and Education: how to upskill for the future

Improved data skills are at the heart of a more effective economy. But what skills do we actually need? How can we acquire them?

In this panel session we discuss how we can embed improved data skills at every level of the education system; in school, in further and higher education, and in work. We consider how to support educators across the entire curriculum to include data-related activities into existing lessons. We discuss the challenges of encouraging learners to consider data science as a subject or career choice. And finally we discuss what's missing to make this a reality for Scotland.

Chair:

• Dr Jo Watts, Founder and CEO, Effini

Panel:

• Kate Farrell, Director of Curriculum Development and Professional Learning, Data Education in Schools

• Claire Gillespie, Digital Economy Skills Planning Manager, Skills Development Scotland

• Dr Stuart Grey, Founder StudentVoice

• Simon Hewitt, Principal & CEO at Dundee and Angus College

Open Data: Enabling Transparency, Empowering Communities and Creating Economic Opportunity

At the Data Summit in November 2021, Scotland’s First Minister stated the importance of high quality open and transparent data which both she and individuals used to make decisions on the pandemic. How do we build on this ambition more widely in a sustainable manner to save time, money and lives and to use data to provide social, economic and environmental benefits?

In this session, our speakers will each give a short pitch on why they think open data is important and how they have used open data to make decisions. This will be followed by a panel discussion. Amongst other areas, this will consider what success looks like for open data and what the challenges are, as well as the links between AI and publishing open data.

Chair:

• Dr Joanna Mckenzie, Principal Data Scientist, The Data Lab

Panel:

• Prof Nick Bailey, Professor of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow

• Kimberley Hose, Head of Business Intelligence, Glasgow City Council

• Tomas Lehtinin, Head of Data, City of Helsinki
  

What Does Responsible Innovation Mean To You?

The term ‘responsible innovation’ has become increasingly commonplace across a range of sectors and organisations. But what does it really mean in practice?

At The Data For Children Collaborative with UNICEF we a continually looking at how we build better projects, that use data in the right way for the right reasons. Our aim is to build collaborations that use data to solve issues facing children across the world. Along with many other organisations, we are still developing our understanding of responsible innovation and how it should impact way of working.

Within this session, we want to explore this term and hear what it means from a range of perspectives. We aim to use this session as a springboard to build a community of individuals and organisations who want to explore this topic further and work together to make the practice of responsible innovation commonplace within Scotland and further afield.

This one-hour hybrid event will include both audience interactivity and a panel discussion and aim build a collective picture of what we understand the term ‘responsible innovation’ to mean.

Facilitators:

• Fraser Macdonald, Head of Delivery and Innovation, Data for Children Collaborative with UNICEF

• Alessandra Fassio, Advocacy and Relations Manager, Data for Children Collaborative with UNICEF

Panel:

• Maria Axente, Responsible AI Lead, PwC UK

• Olivia Gambelin, Founder & CEO, Ethical Intelligence

• Doreen Grove, Head of Open Government, Scottish Government

• Prof Michael Rovatsos, Professor of AI, University of Edinburgh

Why is Explainable AI still a challenge?

Trustworthiness and explainability are increasingly recognised as key to the widespread adoption of AI systems. But can, and should, all AI models be explainable? Does making it explainable affect its performance? Must it be explainable to be trustworthy? Similar to human-to-human interactions, trust can be gained without full explanation through transparency, consistent performance and uncertainty estimations.. can this not apply to AI?

Different problems have different requirements therefore one needs to engineer solutions that fit the specific problem rather than adopting an one size-fits-all approach. The participants in this session will discuss these challenges and elaborate on what trustworthy, explainable, interpretable, and transparent AI systems might mean for different scenarios and how they might enable more trustworthy and explainable solutions while offering state-of-the-art performances as well.

Chair:

• Professor Shannon Vallor, Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence, University of Edinburgh

Panel:

• Dr Shane Burns, Lead Data Scientist, Lenus Health

• Dr Dimitra Gkatzia, Associate Professor, Edinburgh Napier University

• Dr Georgios Leontidis, Director of Interdisciplinary Centre for Data and AI, University of Aberdeen

• Brian Mullins, CEO, MindFoundry

Ethics, Risk and Regulation in AI

This panel discussion will consider the issues associated with regulating artificial intelligence and mitigating risks associated with its use.

EY have carried out significant research in the area of risk assessment in artificial intelligence and the panel will discuss the findings, including the complexity of the issue and the various methodologies involved, and then consider where the interaction between these technical solutions and regulation.

The nature of artificial intelligence and a desire to foster innovation presents issues for regulators. This session will discuss how legislators and other bodies have attempted to navigate these issues and what the future may hold both in the UK and further afield. This will involve considering the role of ethics and their intersection with black letter law as ways of ensuring trustworthy, ethical AI.

Chair:

• Jen Ang, Founding Director, JustRight Scotland

Panel:

• Carolyn Jameson, Chief Trust Officer, Trust Pilot

• Dr Ansgar Koene, Global AI Ethics and Regulatory Leader, EY

• Callum Sinclair, Partner, Head of Technology and Commercial, Burness Paull LLP

Embedding Ethics: How to Create an Ethics Strategy for AI Startups

Led by Olivia Gambelin, EI’s founder & CEO, with the accompaniment of Matt Henderson (CCO). Join the Digi Leaders Impact Awards Finalists as they share how companies can streamline their decision making without debasing system trustworthiness.

** Please note, this is an interactive workshop with hands-on activities through discussion and breakout groups. Participation is highly encouraged. The workshop will run for the entirety of the 1.5 hours with a ten minute break at the halfway point. **

Facilitators:

• Olivia Gambelin, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Ethical Intelligence

• Matt Henderson, Chief Commercial Officer, Ethical Intelligence

Why is it important to engage children in AI and how do we do it right?

AI technologies are everywhere and play a big part in the lives of current generations of children and will continue to do so for future generations. They already interact with AI in many different ways through games, social media and in many cases, their education. They are also indirectly affected by the ways AI influences the lives of their parents and carers. But how does this affect children and their rights? Children are less able to fully understand any implications of the use of these technologies, to be in control of their data and to perceive and challenge potentially biased outcomes.

Scotland's AI Strategy is committed to the adoption of UNICEF's policy guidance on AI for children and will soon embark on a programme of engagement with children across Scotland along with partners The Alan Turing Institute and the Children's Parliament. This panel session will discuss the importance of engaging with children and ensuring that they have a say in how AI could and should be deployed in society.

The panel will explore the benefits of a rights based approach to engaging with children and also on the work UNICEF and the World Economic Forum are doing for the Generation AI project.

Chair:

• Alex Hutchison, Director, Data for Children Collaborative with UNICEF

Panel:

• Dr Mhairi Aitken, Ethics Fellow, The Alan Turing Institute

• Cathy McCulloch, Co-Director, Children’s Parliament

• Steven Vosloo, Digital Policy Specialist, UNICEF

What does AI offer people as they get older and what is the role of co-design?

People in the UK and many other countries are living longer. Increasing life expectancy is to be celebrated, but it poses major challenges for many individuals and families, and for both public and private sectors. AI offers opportunities to address this, but also poses its own challenges and there is a need to ensure input from older people themselves.

This session will explore the opportunities and challenges posed by AI for ageing and care; but also some of the issues relating to trust and ethics, and the role of co-design and other techniques to embed the wishes and needs of older people themselves in research and development.

Chair:

• Professor Subramanian Ramamoorthy, Chair of Robot Learning and Autonomy, University of Edinburgh

Panel:

• Dr Cara Wilson, Research Fellow in Design, the Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC)

• Lucy McCloughan, Programme Manager for ACRC

• Jo Turnbull, Public and Patient Representative, ACRC

• Dr Sohan Seth, Senior Data Scientist at the School of Informatics of University of Edinburgh

Irakli Beridze, Head of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at UNICRI, United Nations​.

The risks and benefits of AI are extensively discussed across all sectors and by various stakeholders, including at the United Nations. The use of AI in law enforcement is considered by many the most sensitive of its use cases. While some vehemently advocate its ban or severe restrictions, proclaiming that the law enforcement deployment of AI may exacerbate risks to human rights and the rule of law, others highlight its unmatched potential to support authorities in protecting individuals from crime. There is truth to both sides. Therefore, a thorough understanding of both promises and perils of AI is essential to leverage its potential in a responsible, human rights-compliant manner. The UNICRI Centre for AI and Robotics is committed to advancing this understanding globally, engaging all stakeholders in building a world where AI contributes to preventing and combating crime, terrorism and other threats to our collective security in a manner that does not ‘erode human rights, deepen inequality or exacerbate discrimination.

Professor Annalu Waller OBE, Professor of Human Communication Technologies and the Academic Lead for Computing, University of Dundee

Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve the quality of life for every citizen. However, a failure to design accessible technologies will inevitably exclude individuals who do not reflect the ‘average’ user, further widening the digital divide. “Designing for Diversity” ensures that technology is usable and accessible for all by considering the needs of extreme users at all stages of the design and implementation of systems. Professor Waller will explore approaches to inclusive and participatory design using examples to illustrate the application of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Natural Language Generation (NLG) in the design and implementation of accessible and assistive technologies.

How can we make AI inclusive?

AI technologies permeate our everyday experiences; from the recommendation engines of your entertainment services to the voice assistants on your phones and the delivery on your online purchases. There are many forms of AI that have a great potential to change people’s lives for the better. But as with any technology, there is also potential to increase inequalities leading to benefit for the few. How can we ensure that the positive impact of AI can be shared by all and how can we use AI to make the world a more inclusive place? Join our fantastic panel representing various perspectives on inclusivity for this final plenary session and get involved in the discussion!

Chair:

• Talat Yaqoob, Independent Consultant and Researcher

Panel:

• Reyam Enad, Data Scientist at Admiral Group and Mentor at CodeYourFuture

• Chuks Ododo, Community Connecting Manager, DataKirk

• Marisa Tschopp, Chief Research Officer, Women in AI

• Professor Annalu Waller OBE, Professor of Human Communication Technologies, University of Dundee

Gillian Docherty OBE, Chair of the Scottish AI Alliance and CCO at the University of Strathclyde