The South West: A cluster
for Ethical Innovation

The increasing influence of Artificial intelligence in our lives has opened up questions about broader societal aspects of the use of data-driven and emerging technologies and the capacity of regulators and civil society to deal with the unintended consequences and potential harms these technologies can cause.

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The speed of growth and importance of AI in the UK is creating a new landscape for the adoption and development of Artificial Intelligence and according to new data released by Tech Nation, the UK now "has more than 1,300 AI companies with a collective turnover of almost $2B – a 600% increase in the number of firms over the last decade. In the same period, venture capital investment rocketed from $120m to more than $3.4B in 2020" (1)

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This new ecosystem is playing an important part in the AI Strategy by the UK government, which has established as one of its strategic goals to make the UK a global "AI superpower" bringing special attention to the need to ensure that these technologies are beneficial for human societies and the planet. (2)

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The need for a clear ethical strategy

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In the last three years, we have seen a proliferation of frameworks developed by big technology companies to adopt an ethical approach to technology.

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These frameworks are based on high-level principles such as fairness, privacy, human agency, and explainability, and to date there is no agreement about the best way to operationalise these general principles.

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Lack of clarity and practicality are commonly recognised as barriers to the successful implementation by startups and small businesses.

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Finding an appropriate way to develop, deploy and evaluate the impact of AI and data demands a clear strategy in line with these ethical considerations.

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So far, the consensus seems to be on developing an approach based on the needs and values of businesses and the wider community.

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Pioneering a new type of innovation

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Public awareness and the growing pressure from civil society and academic organisations have made clear the need for more robust ways to design, implement and deploy AI systems.

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And this project seeks to help businesses, incubators and accelerators position themselves a step ahead of the new regulations by the European Union and AI UK Strategy.

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Encouraging businesses to take a proactive approach to become pioneers in the adoption of ethical innovation.

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The South West : A cluster for ethical innovation.

 

Aim of the project

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The objective of this project is to provide insights and capture the views of developers and users of AI and data-driven technologies in the South West of England.

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As a cluster, the South West has the unique opportunity to find new ways of developing technology by applying Ethics throughout the entire life cycle of a product or service.

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Having an understanding of the opportunities and challenges for the development of ethical innovation in the region would strengthen our position and competitive advantage in the local and global markets.

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At Collective Intelligence, we define ethical innovation as:

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“The development of technology that considers the wider ethical implications in society, identifying risks and developing mitigation strategies using a systematic approach”

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We want to redefine the landscape of innovation, where the focus is not only on value-led organizations but also on more robust and better technology.

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Methodology

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This project will use primarily qualitative techniques incorporating elements of Participatory Research.

 

We will collect information using a combination of in-person and online interviews, workshops and a short survey.

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This project is divided into 3 phases:

 

Phase 1: Business Insight
Phase 2: Stakeholder Engagement

Phase 3: Technology Network

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Phase 1: Business Insights.

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We are looking for companies in the South West of England developing AI to take part in this research.

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Companies interested in taking part in this research will be asked to fill out  a short online questionnaire (about 3 mins)

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An online or in-person interview (about 30 minutes )

Target audience: Founders, CEOs, Product Managers, and members of the Senior Management Team.

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Phase 2: Stakeholder Engagement 

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This phase seeks to engage with a variety of stakeholders to capture concerns, views and expectations of the technology created in the region.

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Methodology

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In-person workshops with relevant participants including Marketing and PR professionals, and a diverse group of civil society organisations.

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We'll be hosting a regional Event to present the "South West a Cluster for Ethical Innovation" Report.

 

This event will provide an opportunity to promote the work of the organisations involved, discuss key findings and future actions.

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Phase 3: Technology Network 

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This third phase seeks to coordinate the formation of a Network to provide businesses access to relevant information, training, and resources to build actionable knowledge through collaboration.

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