Dr Oonagh Murphy leads landmark Responsible AI project
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How public sector organisations navigate the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) was the basis for this major Arts Council England (ACE) report.
Focusing on Arts Council England’s use of AI responsibly in its work, Dr Murphy is embedded as a Responsible AI Fellow as part of the AHRC’s BRAID programme which aims to integrate arts and humanities research and expertise into decision making on responsible uses for the technology.
The report involved surveying ACE staff to understand sentiments towards, experiences and existing knowledge of AI tools. Policies governing Generative AI and a public statement about the use of AI in the grant making process have been among the report’s outcomes. An AI Risk List on the appropriate use for different tools, and the GDPR compliance of different AI platforms have also resulted along with five pilot projects for potential applications of AI.
This major organisation-wide project has created a solid foundation of Responsible AI Policies and Practices that will allow the organisation to better serve the cultural sector.
Dr Oonagh Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society
Dr Murphy added, "This project allowed me to develop and deliver a proactive, futures focussed, model of policy development that utilises collaboration and consultation as a mechanism to build novel policy that leverages existing domain expertise."
Acknowledging that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, a Responsible AI Practical Toolkit has also been produced to support other Public Sector Bodies and Creative and Cultural Organisations. The toolkit contains seven guides and aims to offer a framework for helping organisations that want to create their own responsible AI policies and practices.
Dr Oonagh Murphy said, “With the focus on the hype about potential future dystopia, a lot of organisations are blind to the existing use of AI technologies in their organisations. People may be using AI tools without even knowing they are using AI. The toolkit is an accessible way for any organisation to begin to develop their own thinking about AI technologies and what it means for the work they do."
This work is an output of a Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) Fellowship, a partnership between Arts Council England and Dr Oonagh Murphy and is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Through the BRAID programme, Dr Oonagh Murphy, Turing Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths, University of London is working as an embedded Responsible AI Fellow at Arts Council England from May 2024 - October 2025.