ETHICAL challenges posed by the growing use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) will come under the microscope after global investment group Baillie Gifford pledges £5 million to support research into the subject.

The University of Edinburgh research programme will address some of the world’s most pressing concerns around emerging technologies, which include machine learning, accelerated automation, and financial innovation.

It also reflects the company’s support for the university’s belief that data and AI can make a positive impact on people’s lives in the UK and around the world.

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Areas of investigation could include the use and regulation of personal data by industry and government, understanding and mitigating the impact of increased automation on the job market, and the challenge of building an ethical framework for introducing driverless cars onto public roads.

Although the research will be independent from government, it will help to inform policy, laws and industry standards.

The gift will see the creation of the Baillie Gifford Chair and Research Programme into Data and AI Ethics at the University of Edinburgh.

University principal and vice-chancellor, Professor Peter Mathieson said: “Societies are only now coming to terms with big data and AI’s revolutionary effect.

“This technology is not going away. We need new ways of thinking about how we integrate and manage it, to ensure that it benefits everyone.”

The University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute (EFI) will be the base for the new programme.

When it opens in the city’s former Royal Infirmary in 2021, it will be one of Europe’s largest centres for interdisciplinary learning and research.

EFI director, Professor Lesley McAra, said: “At EFI we aim to harness the fast-moving developments in data and artificial intelligence for social benefit.

“In doing so our research and education will address important questions about the conditions needed to support human flourishing.

“Public trust and confidence is fundamental to building solutions for the myriad ethical and regulatory challenges posed by new technologies.

“The Ballie Gifford donation supports our strong commitment to meeting such challenges and harnesses the university’s centuries-long expertise in ethics.”

Nick Thomas, partner at Baillie Gifford, added: “We hope that our close collaboration with academics at the cutting edge of transformative technologies will accelerate the pace of research and bring tangible benefits to society.”