The Data Science Institute partnered with the Enterprise Lab for a workshop centred on finding solutions to pressing issues in tech.

The ‘Dark Side of Digital, Data and AI’, formed the theme for an evening workshop which represented the latest in a an ongoing series hosted by the Imperial Enterprise Lab, called ‘Idea Challenge’ series.

During the workshop which took place on 17 May 2023, students competed to win a cash prize of £500 by coming up with examples of problems in the digital world, and proposing innovative solutions to them. The workshop formed part of an ongoing DSI initiative called 0-X which aims to inspire technology for good (find out more about the competition below). 

"Taking part in the Imperial Enterprise Lab’s Idea Challenge and thinking about solutions to tackle the growing risk that AI brings into many aspects of everyday life, was an enriching and inspiring experience. I got to work with great people of various backgrounds, which amplified our creative potential and allowed us to come out on top as the winning team.” David Büchner Postgraduate student

Two teams won, with one group proposing an algorithm to identify potential deepfakes to prevent fraudulent activity for consumers, businesses and governments. Commenting on their winning idea, undergraduate student Ryan Boey said: Our system builds off existing technology however, is also novel as it temporarily stores data before being permanently deleting it and preventing user data from being collected."

Boey said: "I really enjoyed the Idea Challenge as it was an opportunity to explore an area outside my field as well as collaborate with people from different disciplines".

Postgraduate student David Büchner said: “Taking part in the Imperial Enterprise Lab’s Idea Challenge and thinking about solutions to tackle the growing risk that AI brings into many aspects of everyday life, was an enriching and inspiring experience. I got to work with great people of various backgrounds, which amplified our creative potential and allowed us to come out on top as the winning team.”

To begin the workshop, participants heard from the DSI’s Co-Director Dr Mark Kennedy who set the stage by introducing students to the concept of ‘negative externalities’, or unintended problems.

Participants heard from Patrick McGuckian and Oliver Colebourne, Co-Founder of the startup Aglide formally known as Attic, who helped to contextualise the challenge by giving examples from their own experiences.

Hattie Willis, former Associate Principal of Rainmaking Venture Studio, founder of GuessWorks, an experienced facilitator, guided participants through the process of generating, choosing and finally pitching their ideas. And as an extra incentive, cash prizes were awarded for the best idea and best pitch.

Negative externalities and the digital world

As technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, it is important to recognise that as with all progress, there can be unintended or unanticipated consequences, often referred to as ‘negative externalities’.

In the context of our digital world, such examples might include data privacy concerns, the creation of deepfakes or spam, or the perpetuation of stereotypes or misinformation due to inherent bias present in data used to train artificial intelligence models.  

Addressing these pressing issues in the digital world is therefore vital for creating a more inclusive and responsible technology.

Hence, the Data Science Institute created the 0-X Contest to raise awareness of these challenges, and to help get Imperial students thinking creatively about solutions to mitigate them.

The 0-X Contest

0-X is a contest created by the Data Science Institute to inspire technology for good: it aims to ‘zero-out’ the negative side effects of the modern digital and data world by finding creative solutions to the most pressing, unanticipated problems in tech.

Who can apply?

Imperial students either as individuals or as leaders of teams assembled from students either at Imperial or one of our neighbouring institutions (RCA, RCM).

What are the prizes?

There will be prizes of £5000, £2500, £1250 to the winning teams or individuals!

You can find out more about the 0-X Contest by visiting the website.

Have an idea for the contest? You can enter here!

The 0-X project is a memorial to Lord Harry Renwick, the technology impact pioneer, and is made possible through a donation by the John Ryder Memorial Trust and support from the Digital Policy Alliance.