Scottish university to host AI ethics conference

The University of Glasgow will gather leading figures from the artificial intelligence (AI) community for a three-day conference this week in a bid to address the ethical challenges posed by the technology.

Starting tomorrow, the Lovelace-Hodgkin Symposium, will see academics, researchers, and policymakers discuss how to make AI a tool for “positive change” across higher education.

The event will inform the development of a new online course on AI ethics, which will boost ethical literacy “across higher education and beyond”, the university said.

Set to launch next year, the course, which aims to equip students with the skills required to think critically about how AI is developed, consumed, and communicate, will be co-created by students and led by the university’s Dr Ciorsdaidh Watts and Dr Lydia Bach.

Dr Watts is a senior lecturer at the university’s school of chemistry, while Dr Bach is an equality officer at the Glasgow-based institution.

Dr Watts said: “AI is already changing the face of education, affecting how we teach, learn and conduct research. Involving students as key contributors to the symposium will help us understand how they currently relate to AI. Their input will inform the development of the online course, which will help guide students in using AI responsibly, critiquing the use of AI from multiple angles, and advocating for inclusive AI use.”

Delegates will hear from representatives from organisations such as the Alan Turing Institute, the Scottish AI Alliance, the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and the European Network Against Racism, with SNP MSP Clare Adamson expected to give the closing address on Friday.

During the symposium, speakers from the university’s research and student communities will present and participate in workshops alongside representatives to build the new course.

The first day of the event will examine the current state of AI, focusing on higher education and the use of AI in research and teaching.

On Thursday, the conference will discuss how to tackle inequality and bias in AI, featuring discussions on AI and race, gender, the environment, children’s rights, and how AI is communicated and consumed.

The final day will involve participants creating an ethical framework for inclusive AI, where they will outline a series of actionable steps and priorities for academic institutions, which will be used to underpin the online course.

Professor Ana Basiri, director of the university’s Centre for Data Science and AI, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the Lovelace-Hodgkin Symposium with the support of key stakeholders from inside and outside the University of Glasgow. Together, we will examine the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence across a wide range of perspectives, amplifying the voices of individuals from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences.

Basiri continued: “At the heart of all the discussions will be considerations of the ethical implications of artificial intelligence, tying into the Scottish Government’s commitment to provide inclusive, trustworthy and equitable AI to its citizens. We will explore how the power of AI can be best harnessed in the years to come to serve as a tool for positive change and community-building across higher education.”