BRAID UK

Headshot photo of Dr Abeba Birhane in front of a bright blue background. She has long black hair, worn in braids. She is wearing glasses and a silky, pale grey dress shirt. Text reads: Dr Abeba Birhane, Trinity College Dublin.

This February, we look forward to hosting @abeba.bsky.social for one week as our Distinguished Visiting Scholar!

Dr Birhane founded and leads @aial.ie and is assistant professor of AI @tcddublin.bsky.social. She researches AI accountability with a focus on audits of AI models and training datasets.

Responsible AI Innovation for SMEs is available now! Enrol via @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social online learning: shortcourses.ed.ac.uk/course/respo... @ukri.org

BRAID launches new responsible AI course to help UK SMEs bridge the AI trust gap As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in everyday business operations, many UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are grappling with an increasingly pressing question: should

📣We've launched a new responsible AI course designed specifically to help UK business leaders make informed, grounded decisions about the design and use of AI. Responsible AI for SMEs is a free online course spanning five accessible modules. Find out more and register: braiduk.org/braid-launch...

BRAID x IDI Hybrid Seminar - Alex Taylor, 30 Jan 2025 This is "BRAID x IDI Hybrid Seminar - Alex Taylor, 30 Jan 2025" by Design Informatics on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

The event was last year but you can watch the video: vimeo.com/1062018944

Prestented by @photoworks-uk.bsky.social and Stills, in collaboration with @braiduk.bsky.social and @inspacegallery.bsky.social @designinf.bsky.social

END-OF-LIFE-SERVICE Procession and Wake An experimental and playful event in the form of an early evening procession & wake where you are encouraged to explore the challenges of AI

We're excited to share our first event of 2026! Felicity Hammond: END-OF-LIFE SERVICE on Thu 29 Jan imagines the death of AI through a funeral procession and wake. Join us as we reflect on all that we have gained and all that we have lost: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/end-of-lif...

Honoured to be launching this report in partnership with @publicmedia.bsky.social. Feels timely, the day after the Head of NATO warned of the need to prepare for war with Russia...

Data privacy and national security the top concerns for PSM in AI procurement - Public Media Alliance A new industry report explores how public service media companies procure and use AI tools off the market to aid their journalism.

“The research finds that PSM have distinctive concerns, challenges and values, which shape their efforts to procure AI ‘responsibly’ at a time of heightened security risks and rapid geopolitical change.” Prof Kate Wright @newsprof1.bsky.social www.publicmediaalliance.org/data-privacy...

Drawing on interviews with 13 PSMs across five continents, the research highlights rising cyber threats, growing geopolitical pressures and major disparities between high-income and low-income organisations in their ability to adopt AI responsibly.

The report reveals that public service media (PSM) organisations are increasingly concerned about data privacy, national security and editorial independence when procuring AI tools for journalism.

Data privacy and national security the top concerns for PSM in AI procurement - Public Media Alliance A new industry report explores how public service media companies procure and use AI tools off the market to aid their journalism.

📣 Data privacy & national security the top concerns for public service media in AI procurement. Prof Kate Wright @newsprof1.bsky.social has just released the second report from her BRAID Fellowship, co-authored with Kristian Porter @publicmedia.bsky.social www.publicmediaalliance.org/data-privacy...

UK/US Collaborations BRAID UK - UK/US Collaborations

By focusing on areas where cross-national collaboration can add distinct value, these projects aim to strengthen partnerships, advance shared understanding, and drive progress in responsible AI research. Explore the funded projects and collaborations: braiduk.org/uk-us-collab...

Funded by @ukri.org and delivered through the AHRC's BRAID programme, this £1.2M investment supports research on topics including:

▶️ AI’s impact on public media and discourse,
▶️ Law and regulation in relation to AI innovation, and
▶️ Resilience and sustainability in the AI ecosystem.

New projects to boost international collaboration in Responsible AI Seven new projects will establish and strengthen collaborations between US and UK researchers in research that will address the ethical, legal and societal implications of artificial intellig

We’re excited to announce seven newly funded projects that will establish and strengthen collaborations between US and UK researchers exploring and addressing the ethical, legal, and societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI): braiduk.org/new-projects...

ICYMI: we're looking for a geographically and demographically diverse group of stakeholders from academia, civil society, policy and industry to join our Stakeholder Forum. Find out more and submit your expression of interest by 30 November: braiduk.org/braid-stakeh...

A vital piece of research from BRAID fellow @clemicollett.bsky.social examining how publishing industry practitioners are experiencing AI’s significant impacts. Find out more and read the full report ⬇️

This event is organised by BRAID Fellows Anna-Maria Sichani, @paulawest.bsky.social and @nickbk.bsky.social

In the era of data-driven AI, traditional notions of “openness” are being rapidly redefined. From Big Tech branding themselves as “open,” to AI models that selectively disclose only parts of their systems, claims of “openness” often obscure more than they reveal.

EVENT INVITATION: Openness and AI roundtable, London, 24 November

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/openness-a...

@shannonvallor.bsky.social @ewaluger.bsky.social @rhianne-j.bsky.social @octavia-fr.bsky.social

Forum members will contribute to shaping the activities of the BRAID Programme and its partners.
If you think this opportunity sounds like a good fit for you and your organisation, please do send your expression of interest to braidstakeholderforum@ed.ac.uk by Friday 30 November 2025.

The Forum will provide a geographically and demographically diverse group of stakeholders from academia, civil society, policy and industry with an opportunity to build knowledge and capabilities around key issues related to Responsible AI and the contribution of Arts and Humanities.

A group of people having a discussion. One woman is speaking into a microphone, a man is listening and smiling, another person has their back to the camera, positioned so as to join in the conversation.

NEW OPPORTUNITY:
We are seeking members to join our BRAID Stakeholder Forum, helping to shape the direction of Responsible AI in the UK.
Information and details of how to submit your expression of interest can be found here:

braiduk.org/braid-stakeh...

Can AI be truly creative? Chatbots and AI models are challenging ideas about who — or what — can create art, music and more.

Can AI be truly creative?

Great to see BRAID Fellow @caterinamoruzzi.bsky.social quoted, alongside other experts in the field, in this @nature.com feature on AI & creativity by Jo Marchant. Really enjoyed reading this, glad to hear a longer format piece on the way!

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Authors: @noortjem.bsky.social, @alex-taylor.bsky.social, @mrsbunz.bsky.social, Thao Phan, Dr. Maya Indira Ganesh, Dominique B., Yasmine Boudiaf, Rachel Coldicutt, Iain Emsley, Beatrice Gobbo, Louise Hickman, Manu Luksch, Dr @bettinanissen.bsky.social, Mukul Patel, Luis Soares.

Drawing on participatory field research in four cities, the authors discuss how AI manifests as an "absent presence" in urban environments, the "reciprocity deficits" that lead to distrust and conspiracy thinking as prominent tropes in everyday public discourse about AI.

Over the last decade, city streets have emerged as a primary site where everyday publics are confronted with new, machine-learning based technologies - in the form of automated cars, smart traffic lights, facial recognition, smart billboards, and the like.

New paper from the team behind the BRAID Scoping project "AI in the street": Reciprocity Deficits: Observing AI in the street with everyday publics.

arxiv.org/abs/2510.23342

The Contested Meanings of Responsible AI (chapter 2) speaks to 'Responsible AI' as being not a singular concept or effort with a fixed meaning & clear definitional boundaries, but a complex & dynamic ecosystem pervaded by tensions & interdependencies.

Full report: montrealethics.ai/saier-vol-7-...

This edition explores how we can move from principles to practice in AI, grounding ethics in real-world action, collaboration, and shared accountability.