Northumbria University has been selected to host the
inaugural UK AI Research Symposium (UKAIRS) – the first event to bring together researchers from a wide variety of
academic disciplines all working within the AI community.
The event, which takes place over two days in September,
will celebrate the diverse work of individuals and research teams across the
UK, focusing not only on technological advancement but also on the critical
examination of AI's impact on society.
The decision to hold the conference in the North East is
recognition of the strength of cutting-edge AI innovation taking place within
the region.
In May this year the Northumbria
Centre for Responsible AI was launched, bringing together leading
academics, policymakers, and government and industry experts to advance AI
education, research, and policy solutions.
Areas of focus include citizen-centred AI, AI in law
enforcement, public sector governance and digital education, as well as
emerging areas of research in environmental impacts of AI, educational use of
AI, and the impact of AI on the creative sector.
Professor
Marion Oswald MBE, Professor of Law at Northumbria and academic lead for
the Centre, said: “AI is now part of our lives, and is being rolled out at pace
by businesses and the public sector alike. So it's essential that we evaluate
the science behind these AI tools, and understand whether AI is making things
better or worse. We need to think about whether we should use AI,
not just whether we can. This is why the conference is so important, as it
brings together people with different expertise and perspectives to consider these
issues.”
UKAIRS is organised by Responsible Ai UK (RAi), and the UKRI
National Research Hubs in AI for Collective Intelligence (AI4CI), and Edge AI
for Real Data, with support from the UKRI funded AI hubs and CDTs, reflecting
£200mn of investments. Responsible Ai UK (RAi), a national network
dedicated to fostering responsible AI research and development across the UK.
RAi brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to ensure that
AI development serves the public good and addresses societal challenges
responsibly.
Last year RAi announced significant funding for PROBabLE Futures – Probabilistic AI Systems in Law Enforcement Futures – a project led by
Professor Oswald in collaboration with a team of multi-disciplinary
co-investigators from Northumbria, Glasgow, Northampton, Leicester, Cambridge
and Aberdeen universities, as well as law enforcement, commercial technology,
third-sector and academic partners. The PROBabLE Futures team will
be presenting a panel at the conference, showcasing their law enforcement AI
mapping research.
Gopal Ramchurn, Co-Chair of UKAIRS, said: ‘UKAIRS addresses a pressing need to cohere the UK AI research
community that includes researchers from diverse disciplines including Computer
Science, Social Sciences and the Arts and Humanities. Not very often do we all
get together under the same roof to share our latest research. This event will
not only allow researchers to network but also showcase their latest
achievements across a broad range of applications.
The symposium represents a key moment for the AI community
to unite, share knowledge, and forge new collaborations that will shape the
future of AI research in the UK. By bringing together diverse perspectives from
across disciplines and regions, UKAIRS aims to ensure that AI development
remains both innovative and responsible.
The conference's focus on impact alongside technology
reflects a growing recognition that the most meaningful AI research considers
not just what we can build, but how it affects communities, economies, and society
as a whole.
The UK AI ResearchSymposium takes place at Northumbria University on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9
September 2025.
