ID149 Keele AI and Humanity Institute (KAHI)

The Idea

I propose the establishment of a multi-disciplinary research institute focused on the global and local challenges posed to humanity and the environment by the development of artificial intelligence - 'Keele AI and Humanity Institute' (KAHI). This would act as a cross-university network by which academic and professional services staff from different disciplines can be connected and foster collaborative projects encompassing research activities, teaching and public engagement related to the ethical, social-cultural, political, economic, scientific, and environmental implications of AI. KAHI would also act a publicly-visible hub for building innovative projects with external partners, be it in industry, local and national government, education, healthcare, or the voluntary sector, who themselves are having to adapt to a quickly changing world shaped by new AI capabilities. Through networking and dialogue opportunities across the university, the institute would also support the development of funding bids and grant applications, enabling colleagues to respond swiftly and effectively to major regional, national, and international funding opportunities. In doing so, it would help raise Keele’s profile as a distinctive centre for research on AI, regarding both its development and its consequences for humanity and the environment. KAHI would also help maintain the university's founding 'Lindsay Vision' by promoting multi-disciplinary critical and socially responsible debates about AI and its consequences, while creating practical opportunities for research impact, collaboration, and innovation. Establishing KAHI as a distinct institute within Keele would give the university a clear and easily recognisable centre (both externally and internally) for groundbreaking, interdisciplinary research on AI and its implications. From an external point of view, it would provide current and potential partners, including businesses, funders, policymakers, and community organisations, with a visible point of contact to engage collaboratively with the university and engage with our expertise. Having a clearly defined research institute focused on AI will also help the university be more agile and responsive to rapidly changing developments in the field, embracing new forms of technology that go beyond generative AI and LLMs, such as embodied AI, agentic AI, predictive tools, and further systems that will progressively integrate with various aspects of our lives. KAHI would be designed to complement the existing Digital Society Institute, by focusing specifically on AI as a distinctive challenge to humanity. Its organising question would focus on how AI, in both its development and consequences of its use, are reshaping human life in different spheres: education, work, creativity, politics, public services, sustainability, health, law, culture, and the environment. This differentiating AI-and-humanity focus can intersect fruitfully, where appropriate, with DSI’s existing work on digital technologies, infrastructure, and transformation. 

Why This Idea Should Be Considered

The questions related to artificial intelligence and its impact on humanity that would be considered by KAHI are going to be some of the most significant of our age. AI is going to shape every area of our lives, and in turn raising issues that humanity has never had to confront before. Keele is well-placed to make a distinctive contribution to these debates through interdisciplinary research that brings together expertise that we already have from across the university.  Examples of current AI-related projects and research groups at Keele include: the ‘Responsible AI’ (XRAI) group and ‘AI for smart energy and sustainability’ projects based in the School of Computer Science and Mathematics; the ‘Digital Innovation Research Cluster’ in Keele Business School, which focuses on the impact of new technologies (such as AI) on business and society; experts on ethical issues and the socio-political impacts of developing technology across the Schools of Law and Humanities and Social Sciences; and interests in cyber-psychology and the impact of developing technologies on mind and behaviour within the ‘Identities, values and social change’ research cluster in the School of Psychology. Establishing KAHI would create a strong platform for developing ambitious collaborative projects, increasing engagement with external funding opportunities, and reinforcing Keele’s reputation for research that is both intellectually innovative and publicly relevant. One clear alignment between KAHI and Keele’s core values revolves around issues of sustainability, which will form a major part of both the institute’s public identity and its research agenda. The environmental and sustainability issues connected to the development and use of AI are significant, such as the demands it places on resources and infrastructure, as well as wider ecological impacts. In addition to considering these vital concerns, the institute can also consider more positively how AI might be used in a responsible and ethical way that contributes to sustainability goals. Focusing on such issues will give the new institute a distinctive profile that builds on Keele’s existing reputation and body of expertise in this area, and can draw upon existing expertise at the university, such as from the ‘Sustainable energy and geo-resources' research group in the School of Life Sciences. This distinctive aspect of KAHI will mean that it is not attempting to compete with other institutions with AI-focused institutes, such as the Institute for Ethics in AI (Oxford) and AI@Southampton. Though there will be overlapping concerns with such institutes, this should not be seen as a reason against establishing KAHI, but as evidence that this is a growing and highly significant strategic space in which Keele needs a clear voice and hub for collaborative activity. Such institutes have generated tangible benefits for their host institutions and external partners, such as with pedagogical innovations (e.g. introducing AI training for all undergraduates at Southampton) and groundbreaking and high-profile external engagement, and there is no reason why Keele cannot have a distinctive role in this space, building on its traditional strengths in multi-disciplinarity, sustainability, and civic engagement.  

How We Would Implement This Idea

The establishment of an initial steering group drawn from across the university (with representatives at different career-stages from all Faculties) would allow for initial mapping of expertise, identification of appropriate research, teaching, and outreach opportunities, the identification of effective priorities, and the organisation of a launch event to bring colleagues and potential external partners together around shared themes and interests. In this early phase, priorities, the steering of existing and potential partnerships, and planning of funding bids would be coordinated by the steering group, working in collaboration with relevant Faculty leads, existing institutes, such as the Digital Society Institute, Professional Services, KIITE, RaISE, and external engagement teams. This initial phase will be supported by acknowledging, drawing upon, and connecting existing activity related to AI ongoing at Keele, including relevant work in professional services, AI implementation initiatives, and existing guidance and support for educators, such as that developed through KIITE. Acknowledging and engaging with this activity from the outset demonstrates that the university is already investing seriously in responding to AI-related change and has a strong basis from which to begin working. Initial mapping will also include consideration of Keele’s existing international partnerships, such as the MA in Education Tech and AI with Beijing Foreign Studies University. In this manner, KAHI could provide a visible institutional hub through which such partnerships are developed and expanded upon, particularly where they relate to responsible AI development and use. This first phase would therefore see KAHI building an internal network, supporting collaborative funding applications, and developing a programme of seminars and public-facing events.  This work would be supported by a formalised structure, with designated leadership, administrative support, and a clear strategy for research, teaching, and engagement. There is also the potential for student involvement in the work of the institute, such as in the co-creation of teaching related to AI issues, that would lead to pedagogical changes that seek to meet the needs of our students as they face a rapidly changing society and job market that will see artificial intelligence increasingly integrated into everyday life. 

What Success Would Look Like

Success would be evidenced by measurable factors, related to growing activity of the institute. This would include increased grant activity, the establishment of connections with external partners, evidence of public or policy engagement, measurable outcomes related to media engagement and digital reach, improvement in sustainability metrics, an impact on pedagogy to better reflect a changing world that our students are entering that is going to be indelibly shaped by AI, and a demonstrable contribution to Keele’s research environment, including through the organisation of themed workshops and other events. These results would also feed into strengthening Keele’s REF submission, by supporting internationally excellent, multi-disciplinary outputs, generating distinctive and persuasive impact case studies, and demonstrating a vibrant and collaborative research culture.