15.01.2025
The official launch of the SAINTS CDT
On Tuesday 7 January 2025, the University of York officially launched the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Safe Artificial Intelligence Systems (SAINTS). We were delighted to welcome guests from across the SAINTS network, all stakeholders committed to the safety of AI systems. This exclusive event gave attendees the opportunity to meet key colleagues from industry, academia, and the regulatory community, alongside our first cohort of 11 postgraduate researchers, and to learn more about the future research challenges of safe AI.
The event was structured around AI skills for the future, focusing on addressing the critical research and training challenges to both engineer the safety of AI, and deploy these systems responsibly. Prof Ibrahim Habli, Director of SAINTS, introduced the CDT, situating it within York’s impactful safety research and well-established training programmes sustained over four decades.
Prof Chris Johnson, Chief Scientific Advisor for the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, delivered the keynote speech, giving personal reflections on the value of the SAINTS multidisciplinary approach to realising the technology’s benefits and growth potential for society and the economy.
He reflected on his time at the University of York, both as a student and academic, and highlighted how York’s collaborative ethos shaped his inspirational career in both academia and government.
Prof Sarah Thompson (Associate Pro-vice Chancellor Research) and Prof Paul Wakeling (Dean of York Graduate Research School), spoke warmly about the contribution that the SAINTS CDT is making to the University’s agenda for public good, and the best practices that the team has put in place to recruit diverse and multidisciplinary cohorts.
Two first-year SAINTS PhD researchers, Nina Seron and Ellaie McClean, introduced the two SAINTS research teams, each focusing on a linked team challenge: Safe Human-AI Collaboration; and Safety of AI-Enabled Robotics.
The launch also gave attendees the chance to see the home of SAINTS, the Institute for Safe Autonomy (ISA), and discover demonstrations from various researchers in the world of AI. These included:
- Dr Victoria Hodge presented a multi-robot platform designed to navigate, inspect and maintain a solar farm.
- Dr Calum Imrie demonstrated an ongoing project to assure the use of an autonomous robotic arm for a nuclear decommissioning task.
- Dr Nathan Hughes showcased a collaborative project with NATS which uses Wizard of Oz prototyping for automated decision-making tools in air traffic control.
- Dr Ernest Lim (Ufonia Ltd) demonstrated some current versions of Dora, a voice-based clinical conversational assistant and medical device, used to support real-world clinical pathways in the NHS.
Reflecting on the launch, Prof Ibrahim Habli (Director of the SAINTS CDT) said: “SAINTS, with its focus on AI safety, reflects our deep commitment to the public good. The launch celebrated York’s outstanding multidisciplinary research and doctoral training with students and partners.”