On 19 and 20 March 2024, AI UK will return to the QEII Centre in Westminster, London for its biggest ever showcase of cutting-edge data science and AI. Alongside three stages of sessions, we have hands-on demos, our new ECR Connect networking event for PhD students, and AI UK Fringe, with events taking place throughout March across the UK.
As the Turing moves into its next phase – aided by a £100 million government investment announced last week – AI UK’s programme is fittingly themed around our three grand challenges in health, defence and the environment, plus our other priority areas of digital society and policy, skills, and core capabilities.
Be sure to take a thorough look at the programme – there are discussions, debates and workshops to suit all tastes. What follows are seven highlights to get you started.
Day 1
Rebalancing Innovation: Women, AI and Venture Capital
Future Stage, 11:00 – 11:50
Inspired by an important and timely piece of research by our ‘Women in data science and AI’ team, the Turing’s Judy Wajcman hosts Dorothy Chou from Google DeepMind to ask why so little venture capital funding is awarded to female-founded start-ups. With this form of funding crucial to AI innovation, what are the risks posed by the exclusion of women from this process? Those interested in this topic may also enjoy this session from AI UK 2023.
Improving Disease Detection
Future Stage, 13:30 – 14:20
A panel of health and data science experts from institutions including Health Data Research UK and the Department of Health and Social Care discuss the exciting and truly transformative possibilities of AI in early disease detection, sharing the latest updates from key clinical areas, and discussing how a wealth of healthcare data can be best exploited to improve patient outcomes.
Data, Labour and AI
Conversation Stage, 14:30 – 15:20
This fascinating session takes a much-needed look at the political economy of AI. From content moderators in Africa to union organisers fighting for tech workers’ rights here in the UK, we hear from voices often overlooked in the AI discourse, and explore the dynamics between labour and big tech.
Day 2
PitchFest
Conversation Stage, 10:00 – 10:50
One of AI UK 2023’s most popular and memorable sessions, PitchFest returns to give researchers the chance to impress our audience and expert panel of judges with 90-second pitches of their work. Pitches are judged not only on the ingenuity of the project and its potential real-world applications, but on the researcher’s ability to sell their idea to the audience – so this session is a must if you want to see science communication done right.
The Secret Session
Conversation Stage, 11:00 – 11:50
Tim Watson, recently appointed to lead the Turing’s grand challenge in defence and national security, hosts Dstl’s lead for AI and data science Steven Meers to discuss how AI might be applied in a safe and responsible manner to help keep the UK safe, how it could transform the nature of conflict, and what challenges are involved in scaling up lab-based innovations so they can be deployed effectively on the battlefield.
Writing Tomorrow, with Adrian Tchaikovsky
Future Stage, 14:30 – 15:20
We are very excited to welcome acclaimed science fiction author Adrian Tchaikovsky, who sits down with Turing Podcast host and Research Fellow Bea Costa Gomes to discuss the art of speculative storytelling, and what lessons Tchaikovsky’s imagined futures might have for our own world. The author’s work touches on artificial general intelligence, and how new technologies can radically disrupt societies – themes that will certainly resonate with our AI UK audience.
Digital Twins for the Environment
Research Stage, 15:30 – 16:20
Digital twins have the potential to radically transform climate science, from simulating intricate environmental processes to mapping minute changes across our forests, oceans and deserts on an unprecedented scale. For this session, a panel of experts discuss the digital twin innovations that could give us vital new tools to fight the climate crisis over the coming decades.
Head here for the full AI UK 2024 programme. In-person tickets are now sold out, but you can sign up here to watch all sessions across the three stages for free.
