Lancaster AI project secures government funding

A researcher from Lancaster University has secured government funding to develop artificial intelligence technology for use in autonomous vehicles and cybersecurity.

Dr Christopher Nemeth is heading one of the 15 projects which will benefit from the £20m Turing AI fellowships funding.

The project aims to develop a system which will inform the way AI technologies make decisions, and ensure they are transparent and interpretable. This would have a wide range of uses, including in autonomous vehicles and cybersecurity.

Dr Christian said: "This research will develop new AI-powered tools capable of automatically gleaning deeper insights from complex data. Our research will lead to new ways of assessing the safety of driverless vehicles for UK roads, as well as developing new AI systems to enhance the UK’s cybersecurity. 

"This Turing AI Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for our research team to collaborate closely with key strategic partners, including GCHQ and TRL, and will help support the UK’s leading position in AI development."

The fellowships forms part of a major government investment in AI skills and research, including sixteen Centres for Doctoral Training in AI and conversion courses to train the next generation of AI experts, announced by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson in October 2019.

Other AI projects set to benefit includes research into processing large volumes of data quickly while keeping energy consumption low, supporting sectors like energy, healthcare and finance where there is growing demand for data. In addition, an 'AI clinical colleague' could support doctors by recommending which drugs to prescribe to patients and whether doses should be altered, helping to them to make the best final decision on a course of action for a patient.