Mhairi Aitken

Bio

Dr Mhairi Aitken is a Senior Ethics Fellow in the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute, a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Digital Environment Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London and an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values (ACHEEV) at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She was included in the 2023 international list of “100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics”.

Mhairi’s research examines social and ethical dimensions of digital innovation. At the Alan Turing Institute Mhairi leads research on AI and children’s rights, as well as working across a range of topics including data justice, ethics of Generative AI and emerging AI policy and regulation. Mhairi has particular interests in the role of public engagement in informing ethical data practices and is a frequent contributor to media discussions on AI and data.

Mhairi is a member of the RAI UK Working Group on Public Participation and a member of the Young Scot Data Advisory Group.

Public Engagement

Mhairi is passionate about finding creative ways of engaging members of the public in discussions around the roles of data and AI in society. She is a regular performer in the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has performed shows based on her research at the Edinburgh International Science Festival, Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival as well as in stand-up comedy clubs.

Mhairi is a frequent contributor to media discussions on AI and data, including on TV, radio and in print. She has featured on Sky News, BBC 2 Politics Live, BBC Radio 4 Today Programme and Woman’s Hour, LBC with Andrew Marr, BBC Five Live and many more radio programmes across national and regional stations. She featured as an on screen expert in Shark Teeth Films’ six part documentary series “Secrets of Big Data”.

Examples of invited lectures, talks, and public appearances include:

TEDx talk: Lifting the Veil on Generative AI, TEDxBath, October 2023
Turing Lecture: Addressing the Risks of Generative AI, The Royal Institution, London, October 2023
What We’re Getting Wrong About the Real Threats of AI, Thinking Digital, Newcastle, July 2023
Shaky Foundations: The ethics of building on ChatGPT, Opening Keynote at DEVOXX 2023, London, 10th May 2023
Panellist: Selling AI: The hype, the FOMO and the fear factor , The Scottish AI Summit, Glasgow, 28th March 2023
Chair: Exploring Children’s Rights and AI: Breaking News! The Scottish AI Summit, Glasgow, 28th March 2023
Panellist: Impacting technology through quality science journalism, AI UK, London, 21st March 2023
Panellist: Are foundation models the right foundation for AI?, AI UK, London, 21st March 2023
Speaker: Press Briefing: ChatGPT and other language models: are journalists out of a job?, Science Media Centre, 21st February 2023
Panellist: Speakeasy: Artificial Stupidity, 9th February, 2023, Life Science Centre, Newcastle

Research interests

Mhairi’s research draws on her background in Sociology and Science and Technology Studies (STS) to examine social and ethical dimensions of innovation. Her current research includes a focus on developing child-centred approaches to AI and advancing data justice. Her past research has focussed in particular on the role of machine learning in finance; governance of data-intensive health research; ethical considerations around secondary uses of health data and; planning and development processes relating to renewable energy projects.

Mhairi has experience of using a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods and has a particular interest in deliberative engagement methods including citizens' juries, deliberative workshops, focus groups and public panels.