AI experts meet at Surrey Research Park

Artificial Intelligence experts met at an event at Surrey Research Park to discuss AI in the region.

With a collective commitment to collaborate to engender positive people-centred impact, the attendees explored challenges such as the ethical use of AI and bridging the skills gap, whilst also discussing opportunities including new application areas and processing paradigms such as quantum computing.

The panellists represented a diverse range of key players in the region who are helping shape the national AI strategy or bringing AI applications to market.

• Professor Aftab Ala, Director of Research, Development and Innovation at Royal Surrey County Hospital
• Tim Buckley, FRGS, Chief Operating Officer, ALCIS Holdings Ltd
• Tracey Carr, Chief Executive Officer, Eco-Shaper
• Dr Emily Corrigan-Kavanagh, Research Fellow in Design Research, University of Surrey
• Professor Adrian Hilton, Founding Director of the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, University of Surrey
• Kathy Slack, Chief Executive, Enterprise M3, Local Enterprise Partnership
• Dr Peter Waggett, Director of Research, IBM

At the event, the University of Surrey described its new Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, a hub of more than 250 cross-disciplinary researchers bringing together Surrey’s core AI-related expertise in vision, speech and signal processing, computer science, and mathematics, with its domain expertise across engineering and physical sciences, human and animal health, law and regulation, business, finance and the social sciences.

Having already forged several partnerships with companies at Surrey Research Park, the new Institute is looking to collaborate with more organisations in the region.

Grant Bourhill, Chief Executive of Surrey Research Park, commented: “We have a growing community of businesses that are bringing AI technology and applications to the market. 

“We are committed to facilitating even more partnerships between Research Park businesses and wider innovation actors such as the University and the Royal Surrey County Hospital. Here at Surrey Research Park, we are home to a wide breadth of businesses, creating a rich environment to help facilitate the cross fertilisation of ideas and expertise.”

David Sampson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research & Innovation, at the University of Surrey, said: “We are coming together with businesses to tackle societal challenges, leveraging AI from a people-centred perspective, enabling AI to enrich lives and help create a fairer, safer society. 

“Our AI institute will be involved not only in the development of technology but, crucially, how it is used, applied, and who will be using it. This will require real and meaningful collaborations across Surrey – partnerships with businesses will be critical to us.”

Adrian Hilton, Director of the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, at the University of Surrey, commented: “The Institute will put people at the heart of AI. With this, we are taking a radical new approach to shape future responsible AI, designed to empower individuals, and address global people-centred challenges such as fair access to education and trusted information, healthcare for all, financial inclusion, sustainability, and how future society will live, work, play and create. 

“Establishing collaborative partnerships and building an AI business and skills ecosystem with the Surrey Research Park at its core is essential to realising the potential beneficial impact of AI for us all.”