On the 14th of March, Anya hosted an online webinar in collaboration with AI UK Fringe, a series of talks hosted by the Turing Institute aiming to share ongoing research in the field of AI.
The webinar invited two guest speakers, John Harvey (Associate Professor and member of N/Lab) and John Stuart (founder of Fuell Limited), who combined their expertise to discuss how digital footprints data can be leveraged for social impact.
Following an introduction from Anya, summarising Digital Footprint data and the role of the Turing Novel Data Linkages Interest Group, John Harvey delivered the first talk.
John is a member of N/Lab, a research group specialising in applying AI and behavioural analytics across various sectors like health and retail. John discussed some of the research efforts led by N/Lab, including an exciting project which used shopping card data to discover that dietary transitions (to a plant-based diet) may lead to iodine deficiencies. This led to a discussion on the implications of this kind of research for public health, and how digital footprints research can drive industry-level change (e.g., through the fortification of alternative milks).
John Stuart spoke second, drawing from his experience leading the development of a mobile fitness app called “Bounts”, which provided incentives for users to log their exercise and movement behaviours in exchange for “points”. This, combined with his expertise in governance and data insights, and his collaboration with researchers at the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics, allowed John to discuss the challenges and opportunities of using consumer data for social impact, as well as the potential value of cross-sector collaborations.
The webinar was recorded, and will soon be available to access online.