Ethics & Privacy

At ADAPT, the provision of new forms of scalable, ethical, AI-Driven technology for the public is central to our goals. If society is to embrace these technologies with control and accountability, it is necessary to involve the public at every stage of the journey.

In line with this, ADAPT has designed a number of initiatives to bring considerations around ethics and privacy to the forefront of public discussion. ADAPT has long integrated disciplines as diverse as computer science, law, and sociology in an effort to tackle these issues. By bringing these conversations to the public, it is possible to engage everyday experience with useful theoretical constructs.

Being no strangers to app development, a number of free technological tools were released with the goals of education and conversation. The BigFoot initiative developed a program capable of analysing individual privacy needs online, and provides recommendations to adjust settings in line with needs.

Meanwhile, the Ethics Canvas provides an easily accessible tool to facilitate discussion and brainstorming. This visual representation allows for easy team participation and discussion, as well as being easily customisable to fit the needs of the conversation.

Finally, ADAPT believes that education and information is key to a meaningful conversation. A series of “Ethics and Privacy” public lectures with internationally-renowned figures was met with great success, discussing and debating the impact of AI systems. ADAPT’s YouTube channel means these recorded lectures are easily available from anywhere in the world.  Alongside this, the “Ethics of ADAPT” white paper provides an overview of the inner workings of the centre’s ethical concerns, providing complete transparency of the direction the current research is taking.

By empowering the public with knowledge and by providing the tools to engage in meaningful conversations, ADAPT is confident that a balanced digital society will involve personalisation and data analytics without compromising the rights of the individual.