University of Warwick Researcher Receives Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) Fellowship

Dr Sanjay Sharma, a researcher at the University of Warwick, has been awarded a BRAID Fellowship as part of a £2.4 million initiative aimed at addressing pressing questions surrounding the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The BRAID Fellowships are part of a larger £15.9 million, six-year program led by the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with the Ada Lovelace Institute and the BBC. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), the initiative seeks to harness expertise from across the humanities and arts to tackle AI-related challenges in various sectors.

Dr Sharma’s fellowship, titled ‘Inclusive Futures: Radical Ethics and Transformative Justice for Responsible AI,’ aims to challenge mainstream AI development by amplifying the voices of marginalised communities. He’ll work in collaboration with Diverse AI, a volunteer-led organisation, that champions inclusion in AI through education and research, striving for responsible and ethical development in the field, and BLAST Fest, a community-based activist group, that promotes social justice in culture and technology through creative and participatory methods. The project seeks to promote an understanding of AI grounded in values aligned with anti-oppression, ethics, and societal responsibility.

Dr Sanjay Sharma said, “The fellowship offers a wonderful opportunity for me to examine the possibilities of re-imagining an ethical and just AI by collaborating with stakeholders and marginalised perspectives.”

The BRAID Fellowships aim to bridge the gap between academia, industry, policy, and regulatory efforts in the responsible AI ecosystem. Dr Sharma’s appointment underscores the University of Warwick’s commitment to driving responsible AI innovation and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.