The APGDA are delighted to host Roger Taylor, the Chair of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, for a thought-provoking conversation on the future for the Centre and how the United Kingdom can become a world leader in ethical, data-driven technology. This is the second event held to share the findings of the Group's recent report, Trust, Transparency and Technology: Building Data Policies for the Public Good.

Established in 2018, the Centre is tasked by the Government to connect policymakers, industry, civil society, and the public to develop the right governance regime for data-driven technologies. Representatives from the Centre engaged with Policy Connect throughout the inquiry process for Trust, Transparency and Tech. The report sets out a positive vision for the future of the body as it enters the process of being placed on statutory footing. The APGDA found that the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation should work across government to address the trust risks that could present a barrier to innovation. Key recommendations include:

• Developing a user-friendly means, such as a kitemark, to show when decisions are being made by machine intelligence
• Prioritising work on how public consent has been challenged by the growth of data-driven technology and public services
• Establishing Parliamentary oversight for the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to ensure citizens’ rights are protected.

This event will provide an opportunity for Roger Taylor, Chair of the Centre, as well as board members, to discuss the future direction of the Centre with a high-profile audience from across the data technology sector, as well as with leading parliamentarians. In particular, this event offers an opportunity for the CDEI to:

• Directly engage with Parliamentarians ahead of a crucial time for the Centre as it seeks to be placed on statutory footing
• Understand the role that MPs and Peers will play in the legislative process that will incorporate the Centre as a Non-Departmental Public Body
• Highlight the Centre’s future workplan and research priorities

This event will also help the Centre to facilitate a better approach to effective and ethical data use across Government, including the work of the Cabinet Office and Government Digital Service in developing new guidelines and milestones in this area. Participants will identify better cross-departmental approaches to data sharing in a way that improves public trust and accountability, as well as promoting new and innovative practices to the provision of public services. Finally, the event will also lead into the APGDA’s forthcoming roundtable on the role of parliament in regulating and scrutinising technology and data ethics, which will be held in spring 2020. 

jack.tindale [at] policyconnect.org.uk (subject: The%20Future%20Direction%20of%20the%20Centre%20for%20Data%20Ethics%20and%20Innovation) (To attend - please email Jack Tindale. )