Ethics and society

In our research, innovation and teaching on AI, we will always balance the technology's potential with the needs of society.

Empowering leaders in responsible AI

At Edinburgh, AI is more than technology. People come first.

We are equipping our leaders – both current and future – to advocate for and practically develop AI that is responsible and sustainable. Edinburgh is fusing its deep history in ethics, law, sociology and philosophy with the progression of this world-changing technology. 

The result is a vision of AI that enhances human health, prosperity and creativity. We are not afraid to use our expertise to challenge those that may pull AI in the other direction. Our researchers and students ask not just whether we can do something, but if we should.

Advancing AI ethics

As a pioneer in this field, Edinburgh was the first UK university to establish a dedicated centre for AI ethics and data. The Centre for Technomoral Futures is advancing research into the ethical, legal and societal implications of AI, shaping global policy and guiding responsible AI development.

Through the Centre’s programmes we are training the next generation of experts who will shape the AI landscape – whether in academia, industry or policy. By bridging disciplines and fostering critical inquiry, the Centre ensures AI serves the public good.

Fostering multidisciplinary collaboration

There are other ways we are embedding this vital perspective at the heart of AI at Edinburgh and beyond. We lead the AHRC-funded Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme in partnership with the BBC and the Ada Lovelace Institute. BRAID integrates arts and humanities research into the responsible AI ecosystem, and fosters collaboration across industry, policy and regulatory sectors for public good. 

We are creating new opportunities to bring together researchers from across the institution to explore the possibilities of AI. Our vision sees lawyers talking to medics, data experts mingling with artists, roboticists collaborating with anthropologists. 

In doing so we are unlocking new people-centred AI that will shape the future of health and care and drive discoveries in climate, renewable energy and sustainability.

Prof Shannon Vallor nose-to-nose with robot
Professor Shannon Vallor, Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence and Director of the Centre for Technomoral Futures, is driving the conversation on responsible technology.

This article was published on