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Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation Minutes - Board Meeting 10

Updated 12 October 2023

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This content is no longer current. The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) Advisory Board closed on 9 September 2023.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/board-meeting-agendas-and-minutes/centre-for-data-ethics-and-innovation-minutes-board-meeting-10

23rd January 2020

Lee Library, 10 - 11 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH

Attendees:

  • Roger Taylor (RT)
  • Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft (SC)
  • Prof Luciano Floridi (LF)
  • Dame Patricia Hodgson (PH)
  • Dr Susan Liautaud (SL) (dialling in)
  • Baroness Kate Rock (KR)
  • Dame Glenys Stacey (GS)
  • Richard Sargeant (RS)
  • Prof Lord Robert Winston (RW)
  • Dr Adrian Weller (AW)

Apologies:

  • Kriti Sharma (KS)
  • Edwina Dunn (ED)

Observers (CDEI staff for sections of the meeting relevant to their work):

  • Ollie Buckley (OB)
  • Alexander Lawrence-Archer (ALA)
  • Mark Durkee (MD)
  • Benedict Dellot (BD)
  • CDEI Team Members

Item 1: Chair’s Welcome

The Chair (RT) welcomed the Board to the meeting including SL joining on the phone. Apologies were given by ED and KS. A change in the order of the agenda - once formal parts of the agenda have been discussed, we will start with the Targeting Review.

Declaration of interests:

  • There were no declared interests.

Minutes from previous Board meeting:

  • Board approved the minutes from the previous Board meeting.

Actions:

  • CDEI to publish the minutes on gov.uk.

Item 2: Updates

Executive Director’’s update:

  • OB gave a recruitment update, and explained some team changes. A major recruitment round is currently underway, with interviews taking place in early February.

Actions:

  • CDEI to circulate an updated organigram with current team members.

Chair’s update:

  • RT provided a debrief on meeting with the Secretary of State (SoS)
  • PH commented on the importance of tone when delivering the CDEI’s strands of work, especially the upcoming Targeting Review and its core recommendations - a need for clarity and simplicity when engaging with media and the public.

Item 3: Targeting Review

The Targeting Review team provided a brief account of stakeholder feedback, highlighting responses from a range of stakeholders. OB also provided an update on the proposed launch date and approach to the publication of the report.

The Board discussed the report and its publication and emphasised the importance of translating our messaging to the media and the public and ensuring that our core recommendations are accessible and clear.

Actions:

  • CDEI to incorporate Board comments into the targeting review report and its publication.
  • CDEI to publish the Targeting Review report in the week commencing 3rd February 2020.

Item 4: Analyse and Anticipate (AI Monitoring)

The A&A team presented the Board with an update on the AI Barometer (AIB) following steering group feedback, and ran through a refreshed strategy for the team in 2020/21.

Steering group feedback on the AIB output focused on better segmentation of the slide deck format, more prominent use of the survey results, and further cross-sector analysis. The A&A team will be sourcing further feedback from our sector panels ahead of publication in the Spring of 2020.

Regarding the 2020/21 work programme, the team noted a suggested team name change from A&A to AI Monitoring, which better reflects the team’s mission. The new work programme will retain many elements of the 2019/20 strategy, including the Snapshot Papers and the AI Barometer, but will also feature new activities, such as a standalone horizon scanning work stream.

The Board discussion was focused on the following points:

  • The Board welcomed progress on the AI Barometer
  • There was a discussion about the nature of the activities and outputs planned for next year. The Board agreed on the value of the CDEI ranking risks and opportunities, although noted that this ambition needs to be adequately resourced.
  • The Board underlined the importance of promoting our outputs beyond the policymaking community, including through regular engagement with the mainstream media.
  • The Board gave their approval for the proposed expansion in activities, while also emphasising the importance of prioritising quality over quantity;
  • The Board confirmed they are happy to sign-off the AI Barometer output via email.

Actions:

  • CDEI to incorporate Board comments and steering group feedback into the AI Barometer and future development of the AI Monitoring strategy.

Item 5: Bias Review

The Bias Review team provided an update on the report progress and sought agreement from the Board on the overall structure of the final report, as well as feedback on some of the main emerging recommendations. The team also reminded the Board about the RUSI report launch on 24th February.

The Board discussed the main emerging recommendations and made the following points:

  • A discussion was held on the cross-cutting topline messages of the report and their aim to reach cross-sector conclusions; the discussion looked at the potential gap in centralized guidance and whether the CDEI should bridge the gap between sectors; The CDEI should focus on recommending practical steps to Government, and to incorporate a wider and more positive framework that should not restrict itself to bias;
  • The Board held further discussions on unconscious bias, a need to enunciate transparency, private sector recruitment and potential gaps in legislation, as well as the standards that should be expected from the public sector.

Actions:

  • CDEI to incorporate Board comments into the bias review and communications strategy in the final draft subject to Board approval in March.

Item 6: Strategy

ALA presented the six core components to the work programme and the shortlisted projects for 2020/21, mentioning the good response from the Secretary of State on the CDEI strategy.

The Board’s discussion focused on the shortlisted projects and how to secure agreement from the Secretary of State, the current progress on the statutory footing of the CDEI and the budget review process.

Actions:

  • CDEI to share with the Board the 2020/21 work programme draft, which will be ready to be sent to SoS's office for approval.

Item 7: AOB and Closing

  • SL shared updates concerning the California Consumer Privacy Act
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