Our BDFI co-director Professor Daniel Neyland hosted a fascinating and informative lecture about the ethics around artificial intelligence. ‘Do pixels have feelings too?’ looked at neural networks for emotional recognition, and questioned how ethics can be designed into this aspect of AI.
Daniel was joined by the BDFI co-director Professor Dimitra Simeonidou and together they hosted a lively Q&A event after the lecture.
BDFI’s new home also played host to drinks and refreshments as part of a networking event. It was wonderful to see so many people attend the event in person and stay to meet with colleagues and partners.
Professor Colin Gavaghan hosted an informative and lively discussion about law and regulation in the changing AI landscape, titled ‘Move fast and mend things: making good rules for fast changing tech’.
The discussion covered regulation and the use of existing laws, whether law is always needed to fix an issue, and a checklist for making any new laws.
Thank you to Professor Richard Owen for chairing the event.
As part of our BDFI Introduces Seminar Series, Professor Rebecca Coleman talked time, the pandemic and social media. She took the audience through the findings of her recent report ”Post’-pandemic hybrid futures’ which explored how communities engaged with each other both in-person and online, and the successes and challenges they faced.
The event was followed by a lively Q&A session from the audience at the Engine Shed as well as from people who had joined the seminar online.
We were delighted to welcome many of our partners for a first look at our new home, the first research hub to open in Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.
During the day delegates heard from Co-Directors Professor Dimitra Simeonidou and Professor Susan Halford and guest Professor Tim Whitley, BT Managing Director of Research and Network Strategy about the history of our industrial site, progress with facilities and live projects. Academic flash (just two minutes) presentations covered a diverse range of topics from the quantum internet to explainable AI to technology in the crime nexus. In our Neutral Lab during networking more work was showcased including our commissioned artwork, Injurious Effect, virtual reality facilities, ‘5G in a box’ – the Nomadic Node,Advancing Cyber Security, MyWorld and the sustainable campus testbed.
We were delighted to share our new home, expertise and to help make introductions for partners Airbus, BT, Digital Catapult, LV=GI, Thales, TM Forum, Ultraleap, Watershed and the West of England Combined Authority.
Part of our BDFI Introduces Seminar Series Dr Sanja Milivojevic talked technology, crime, harm and criminal justice. Together, we explored how we can shape different digital futures.
In the world of crime, offending, victimisation and social control technological development has been flagged as a part of the problem (cyber-crimes, AI-enabled offending such as deep fakes) and a part of the solution (predictive policing, algorithmic justice). BDFI academic Dr Sanja Miliojevic looked at predicted, likely and alternative digital futures in this space and what role interdisciplinary research and partnerships using the innovative methodology and research platforms can play in their development.
Up to 50 delegates attended at Bristol’s M Shed on 4 May 2022 to take part in our first major in-person event for academics, partners and collaborators.
‘BDFI in Action’ sought to share, debate and consolidate ideas about how we can drive disruption through sociotechnical innovation, and put these ideas ‘into action’ through a series of curated discussions.
Together, we explored a current development to make a digital city for the future, taking a sociotechnical approach to examine questions of sustainability, inclusion and prosperity.
