The Alan Turing Institute and the London Office of Technology Innovation (LOTI) have collaborated to organise the first London Data Week - a week-long citywide festival hoping to engage people in challenges and opportunities around data and AI.
The varied programme of events, organised in partnership with leading data organisations in London, hopes to explore how advances in data are already improving Londoners lives and what could be done even better in the future.
London Data Week has launched with a “Building better AI in the open” event at Science Gallery London featuring Margaret Mitchell, Chief Ethics Scientist of Hugging Face. The full event runs from 3 – 9 July and begins with an event at the Museum of London which will highlight the unique data innovation currently taking place in London. Kirstie Whitaker, the Turing’s Director of Tools Practices and Systems will be participating as a panellist at this event.
There are many opportunities to get involved and interactive events taking place include: the ‘Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas’ comedy night, hosted by the Turing; a popup exhibition showcasing data insights on London’s high streets; and a session exploring data equity in genome editing at the Francis Crick Institute.
Leading the public conversation on key social and ethical issues relating to data science is an important part of Turing’s strategy. Inviting a range of people into conversations about data will help ensure the complex data science and AI landscape is easier to navigate and understand, both to those working in it and those looking to connect to it.
The week will end with the event called ‘All the Docks’ where participants are aiming to visit all the Santander bike docking stations in one day. They will collect data on route through GoPros with the intention that researchers can use this data to analyse topics such as cycling infrastructure and road quality.
Jennifer Ding, Research Application Manager at The Alan Turing Institute and co-organiser of London Data Week, said: “We’re delighted to launch the first London Data Week this year. We think more people should be part of shaping how data in London is created, shared and used in our city. We hope that this exciting programme of events will spark meaningful discussions and collaborations that continue after the week is over.”
Sam Nutt, Data Ethicist at LOTI, said “It’s vital that all Londoners can have the chance to influence how data and AI might be used in the future. London Data Week is a chance for organisations from local government, research and academia, industry and civil society to bring the public from outside the tech bubble into meaningful conversations about data and AI. We want London Data Week to establish London as a city where data innovation is open, collaborative and inclusive.”
London Data Week takes place alongside partners including the Open Data Institute (ODI), Royal Statistical Society (RSS), Science Gallery London, and local government. Find out more about the week.
