Northumbria hosts symposium

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.