The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge welcomes the creation of the Ada Lovelace Institute to examine the ethical and social issues arising from the use of algorithms, data, and artificial intelligence.

The Nuffield Foundation has announced a new £5 million ‘Ada Lovelace Institute’ to examine the profound ethical and societal issues arising from the use of algorithms, data, and AI, and to ensure these technologies are harnessed for the well-being of all.

Powerful algorithms and data-based technologies are already having a profound influence on society at large, from the global political sphere to individual lives. Recent news reports about data breaches and accidents with driverless cars highlight the necessity and urgency of the Institute’s work.

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence has been researching and advising on these issues since its launch in 2016. The Centre’s Executive Director, Dr Stephen Cave, said:

“The rise of AI and related technologies is revolutionising our world. They have enormous potential, but at the same time, they bring new challenges. Minimising the risks while maximising the benefits will require broad consultation, careful deliberation and path-breaking new research.

We therefore enthusiastically welcome the creation of the new Ada Lovelace Institute, which will help to make the UK a world leader in addressing these ethical and societal challenges. We particularly welcome their commitment to convening a diverse range of voices, and the fact that the Institute is named after programming pioneer Ada Lovelace. We look forward to working closely with the new Institute.”

For more information, please contact LCFI’s administrator, Susan Gowans on skg41@cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 760488, or go to www.lcfi.ac.uk.

Note to Editors

LCFI is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the University of California at Berkeley and is funded by a £10 million grant from the Leverhulme Trust. Its mission is to create the interdisciplinary community that will be needed to make the AI revolution go as well as possible for humanity. At the Centre’s launch in 2016, the late Professor Stephen Hawking said “The rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity. We do not yet know which. The research done by this centre will be crucial to the future of our civilisation and of our species.”