Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

CDT EDI Ethos

The CDT has EDI at its heart, believing that a diverse cohort will bring a diversity of perspectives and ideas, and that advertising to and recruiting from the widest possible talent pool will ensure excellence. A summary of our strategy is below.

CDT EDI Strategy:

The Centre’s approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues is to follow the Faculty of Engineering and the University of Bristol policies and strategic priorities.Here we highlight how we intend to exploit the particular subject matter of the Practice-Oriented AI CDT.

The foundation year content of the CDT will include material on equality, diversity and inclusion in the design and use of AI: for example, potential issues with demographic bias in AI algorithms, and mitigations. By teaching this content we aim to enable CDT students to be ambassadors for good ED&I practices within the discipline of AI in their future careers.

Another diversity issue (in the widest sense) for AI is the current concentration of cutting-edge AI capabilities in a small number of technology companies. The CDT aims to encourage ‘democratisation’ of AI technology which is clearly reflected in its comprehensive range of industry partners, from large multinationals to local SMEs. By training a diverse cohort of PhD students in this technology, some of whom will join smaller companies and start-ups, we aim to reduce the inequality between different companies within the sector, enabling greater inclusion and more creative diversity of technical approaches, thoughts, and experiences in AI.

Bristol Balloons fiesta against the sky

Creating an inclusive culture is not about one-off initiatives – it’s about ongoing mentorship, governance and a clear narrative that building diversity is crucial for success.

Professor Gill Valentine, June 2018, Nature
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