AI Fairness Innovation Challenge winners announced

6th February 2024

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)

Paige West

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Four organisations have been chosen to receive funding from the Government's AI Fairness Innovation Challenge to develop innovative solutions aimed at combatting bias and discrimination within AI systems across sectors such as higher education, healthcare, finance, and recruitment.

The initiative, orchestrated by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and executed by Innovate UK, aims to explore new methods for addressing various forms of bias and discrimination inherent in AI systems. A total investment exceeding £465,000 will be distributed among the four selected proposals:

In the realm of higher education, The Open University is tasked with enhancing the fairness of AI applications
The Alan Turing Institute is set to devise a fairness toolkit to aid SMEs and developers in assessing and ensuring fairness within Large Language Models (LLMs) utilised in the finance industry
Aiming at the healthcare sector, King’s College London plans to develop a solution focused on reducing bias in healthcare, particularly in early warning systems predicting cardiac arrest in hospitals, leveraging the CogStack Foresight model
Coefficient Systems Ltd. will concentrate on diminishing bias within automated CV screening algorithms prevalent in the recruitment industry

Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan commented on the initiative: “Our AI White Paper is fostering greater public trust in the development of AI, while encourage a growing number of people and organisations to tap into its potential.

“The winners of the Fairness Innovation Challenge will now develop state-of-the-art solutions, putting the UK at the forefront of leading the development of AI for public good."

The selection of these winners followed a meticulous assessment by experts appointed by DSIT and Innovate UK, focusing on the proposed projects' potential impact, innovative approach, and adherence to AI regulatory principles such as fairness as outlined in the UK's AI White Paper.

DSIT eagerly anticipates the progress and potential impact these innovative solutions will bring to fostering a fairer AI ecosystem. The projects are set to commence by 1 May, with winners receiving guidance from DSIT alongside regulatory bodies, the EHRC and the ICO, to ensure their solutions comply with data protection and equality laws.