Policy Fellow, AI Governance (Standards and Regulation)

The Public Policy Programme works alongside policy makers in pursuit of the Institute's mission - to make great leaps in data science and artificial intelligence research in order to change the world for the better - by developing research, tools, and techniques that have a positive impact on society. Within this aim, the programme tackles questions of how to develop and deploy AI for better governance and policymaking, and how to advance regulatory frameworks and governance mechanisms for the ethical development and deployment of AI.

Situated within the Public Policy Programme, the AI Governance and Regulatory Innovation team conducts research, provides advice, and works with policymakers and other stakeholders to address governance challenges and opportunities presented by AI. The team's portfolio of work covers a diverse range of areas, including questions of AI governance that stretch across regulatory and non-regulatory mechanisms and across different governance domains (horizontal/sector-specific, national/international) and questions about the use of AI for regulatory purposes. Our research informs AI policymaking processes in the UK and internationally, and we act as a trusted advisor and a collaborator with government departments, regulatory bodies, and intergovernmental organisations.

The team's portfolio includes leading the Turing's work on the AI Standards Hub, a high-profile government-funded initiative delivered in partnership with the British Standards Institution and the National Physical Laboratory, dedicated to the role of international standards as AI governance tools and innovation enablers. Through a combination knowledge sharing, community and capacity building, and research, the AI Standards Hub seeks to provide thought leadership, enable new forms of international collaboration, and empower stakeholders to become actively involved in the AI standardisation landscape. (For more information on the Hub's mission, see www.aistandardshub.org)., We are recruiting a Policy Fellow to join the AI Governance and Regulatory Innovation team. The successful candidate will report to the Head of AI Governance and Regulatory Innovation and will play a leading role in delivering the team's strategy for research, stakeholder engagement, and capacity-building in the areas of AI standards and AI regulation. The post holder will join the team during an exciting time, with the opportunity to shape new workstreams while contributing to the development of the AI Standards Hub and other existing projects.

The successful candidate will join a team with a track record of producing high-impact public-facing work and acting as a source of strategic advice to stakeholders in the UK and abroad. Their work will involve building and maintaining strong working relationships with regulators, collaborating in prominent industry networks, and contributing to a strategy that combines UK-focused and internationally oriented activities. The post holder's work may focus on the governance of AI and autonomous systems in a range of possible domains, depending on project needs and candidate background. Possible domains of focus include:

• Maritime industry


• Transport


• Agriculture


• Construction


• Creative industries


DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• The core responsibilities of this role are as follows:


• Generating research and thought leadership on standards and regulation for AI that encompasses technical as well as non-technical considerations and addresses questions in areas such as reliability and safety, security, transparency, fairness, accountability, interoperability, and wider societal implications.


• Specific research aims are project dependent and may include analysing AI use cases, their associated challenges and risks, identifying and assessing the adequacy of existing standards and regulatory frameworks in the UK and internationally, and developing recommendations for addressing gaps and needs for new standards and regulatory measures.


• Leading engagement, community building, and knowledge production & exchange activities with diverse stakeholders (including industry, regulators, academia, and civil society) in the UK and internationally through workshops, roundtables, webinars, and other relevant formats.


• Developing resources, tools, and training materials to equip stakeholders with knowledge on best practice, standards, regulatory strategies, and the wider AI governance landscape.


• Contributing to strategy development across existing and future workstreams, including identification of synergies with other work being pursued within and outside the Turing.


• Building and managing strategic and collaborative relationships across different communities, including academic partners, policymakers, regulators, and developers and users of AI in the private sector.


• Identifying and pursuing strategies for amplifying the reach and impact of work among national and international audiences.


• Overseeing the work of other team members.
  
  A PhD or an equivalent level of professional experience that provides suitable foundations for understanding technical as well as governance- and management-related aspects concerning the design, development, and use of AI technologies (including ethical and regulatory considerations). This may be a degree in the social sciences, law, fields concerned with technical aspects of AI and digital innovation (such as computer science), or other relevant disciplines.


• An excellent understanding of technical as well as governance- and management-related aspects concerning the design, development, and use of AI technologies.


• A strong understanding of the current literature on regulatory and ethical considerations related to AI.


• A general understanding of and strong interest in existing and emerging legal and regulatory frameworks and requirements with relevance to AI technologies at the national and international level.


• A general understanding of and strong interest in the role of international standards as a technology governance tool.


• A record of scientific publication, which may include journal articles, book chapters, and policy reports/white papers, according to career stage.
  
  This full-time post is offered on a fixed-term basis for two years. The annual salary is £55,184 - £56,779 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits.


The Alan Turing Institute is based at the British Library, in the heart of London's Knowledge Quarter. We expect staff to come to our office at least 4 days per month. Some roles may require more days in the office; the hiring manager will be able to confirm this during the interview.