Overview of the major ethical issues arising from data, algorithms and AI

The Nuffield Foundation has established the Ada Lovelace Institute, with a mission to ensure data and AI work for people and society.

Working with the Centre for Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, this project aims to provide an initial, clear and systematic overview of major ethical issues within the area of data, algorithms and AI.

Technologies using data, algorithms and AI are increasingly affecting every area of life. The emergence of such transformative technology raises issues around data rights, consent and its broad societal and ethical impact. While researchers in a number of fields are exploring these areas, there is yet to be sufficient systematic work mapping the full range of complex ethical questions across sectors, and their interrelations.

Researchers will undertake literature reviews from a range of relevant academic fields and facilitate interdisciplinary workshops in order to identify a framework of under-explored issues. The project will enable debate across sectors in order to develop a coherent research agenda, which will be of relevance to the development of future policy and practice within the field.