Not enough being done on diversity in AI, finds BCS report - Education Technology

BCS, the chartered institute for IT, has released a report that supports the government's recent £13.5m investment in master's level AI conversion degrees. The report, 'Scaling up the ethical artificial intelligence MSc pipeline', was commissioned by the government's Office for AI, with the aim to understand what can be done to tackle the severe shortage of AI professionals, particularly from diverse backgrounds. The government's own AI review found that around 3,000 AI MSc graduates will be needed every year in order to furnish the country with the skills base it needs, and that ethical skills will be a necessary element of this base. Research for the report involved extensive consultation with more than 50 universities, blue-chip companies, the Institute of Coding, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Office for Students (OFS), as well as government departments including the DCMS and DfE. The report recommends that the AI sector should implement evidence-based solutions to diversity issues – such as those being used in engineering – as a "matter of urgency".