Responsible AI UK (RAi UK) is a national research and innovation consortium led by the University of Southampton, bringing together the UK’s most distinguished AI researchers in a collaborative mission to steer artificial intelligence development toward societal benefit. With a £35 million UKRI investment, RAi UK is a programme that delivers interdisciplinary research and fosters an international ecosystem for responsible AI. Through extensive consultations across the UK, RAi UK has identified emerging challenges in responsible AI and has deployed over £17 million into projects aimed at accelerating the adoption of responsible AI practices and technologies. RAi UK brings research-based expertise that is trusted by governments around the world, industry, and the public.
Our work spans five transformative domains:
Ecosystem Creation: We architect robust networks connecting academia, industry pioneers, and government stakeholders, identifying and developing critical thematic areas with corresponding translational initiatives.
Research & Innovation: We curate ambitious research programmes that leverage expertise across the RAI UK community while forging strategic alliances with emerging industry-led projects.
Enterprise Excellence: Our Enterprise Fellowships accelerate the transformation of cutting-edge research into real-world solutions by supporting university-based researchers with entrepreneurial mindsets to commercialise products and services that embed responsibility and trustworthiness in AI deployment.
Skills Development: Our Skills Programme fosters and scales multi-disciplinary exchange within the AI ecosystem through frameworks, upskilling initiatives, and public awareness campaigns, designed for diverse stakeholders across the AI ecosystem.
Public & Policy Engagement: We harness international expertise and networks to address emerging challenges with agility and foresight, providing evidence-based guidance for robust standards of AI development and deployment.
RAi UK is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the UKRI Technology Missions Fund and EPSRC.
“At RAI UK, our work goes beyond traditional academic boundaries by ensuring the development of AI is inclusive of diverse voices, cultures, and perspectives. The notion of responsibility implies making choices that sometimes involve difficult trade-offs, which are not always visible at first sight. RAi UK ensures that both the research and the application of AI are done with an understanding of potential harms and side-effects. We do this through the lens of inter-disciplinary and responsible research, and innovation practices. The Department of Electronics and Computer Science at Southampton offers an exceptional environment for ambitious researchers and innovators, combining world-class technical expertise with a truly multidisciplinary outlook.”
Professor Gopal Ramchurn, CEO