Monthly theme - March 2025 - Ethics

Published on March 3, 2025

This March our theme in The Data Lab Community is 'Ethics'. The world of data and AI is evolving fast, and with it comes a growing debate around ethics and regulation. Striking the right balance between responsible oversight and innovation is a challenge – too little regulation risks harm, while too much could slow progress.

We look forward to exploring this hugely important topic in the community throughout the month! As always, we're keen to hear from community members who are interested in this area -so please go ahead and share any questions, resources, blogs, and/or interesting content  in the community!

Our ethics blog 🗞️
To mark the beginning of Ethics Month, The Data Lab's latest blog dives into the complexities of data and AI ethics, the push for regulation, and why responsible development is more than just a legal requirement - it's a competitive advantage. 

Check out our blog here: Striking the Balance: Navigating the Ethics and Regulation of AI Innovation.

Events 🎟️
As part of our activities throughout the month, we're hosting and supporting a number of events related to our theme. Make sure to register for the events you'd like to attend via the links below! 

Join us at Bayes Centre in Edinburgh (and online!) for the launch of our Ethics theme! We're talking all things ethics with our ace panel Wiktoria Kulik (Responsible AI Manager, Accenture), Leonardo Bezerra (Lecturer in AI/Data Science, University of Stirling) and Alessandra Fasio (Data Ethics Lead, Ministry of Justice).

Join the Cyber and Fraud Centre to explore organisations' ethical responsibilities in handling data securely. We'll cover where businesses go wrong, what happens when data is compromised, and how to build a strong security framework. Attendees will leave with practical steps to strengthen their defences against cyber threats and ensure they manage data responsibly and ethically. 

AI auditing is the practice of testing whether an AI system is working as it was intended. AI auditing involves reviewing how AI makes decisions, checking whether decisions are fair, accurate and safe, and ensuring they follow ethical guidelines. In the same way businesses get audited for their finances, AI systems are audited to ensure they are not biased, unreliable or acting unexpectedly. Join the Participatory Harm Auditing Workbenches and Methodologies (PHAWM) team, who will share their thinking and reflection from their ongoing work to create co-designed tools and methodologies to audit the harms and fairness of predictive and generative AI across a range of sectors. 

Discussions on regulation and ethics in data & AI have been a growing debate as AI and the public's understanding of these technologies has quickly evolved. In this session, Michaela D'Mello, Data Specialist at LEGO Group, will link current regulation discussions to data ethics concerns and highlight the relevance of data ethics and regulation to all of us, not just those who work in ethics or compliance. Whether you have 'ethics' in your job title or not, you can still play your part in ensuring data and AI technologies are built and implemented responsibly.  

Head to the events board for the full calendar of upcoming events! And you can watch recordings of previous Data Lab Community events on The Data Lab's YouTube Channel.

Further reading and resources 📖
For those looking to explore AI ethics and regulation further, here are some resources you might find helpful: 

Check out our Resource hub for lots more! Found something you think the community would find interesting or valuable? Share it on our Live feed! 

Upcoming themes 📆
Here's a reminder of what we have coming up for the rest of 2025!

  • April - Life Sciences 🦠
  • May - Navigating Data & AI 🧭
  • June - Geospatial Data 🗺️
  • July – Sustainability ♻️
  • August - Housing 🏡
  • September - Financial Sector 🏦
  • October - Health 🏥
  • November - Data Visualisation 📊
  • December – Reflecting on 2025 💭

If you are interested in organising an event aligned with any of our monthly themes, let us know by completing this short form, and we'll get back to you with more info! We'll help promote events that align with our themes to our 6000+ members, offering an excellent opportunity to reach new audiences and amplify your activities. If you would like some more info on how you can get involved, whether that is by organising an event or sharing other relevant content, get in touch at [email protected], and we'd be happy to chat!

Other news

Our monthly themes for the year (and how to get involved!)

January 13, 2025
If you’ve been with us for a while, you will know that each month we introduce a new theme to The Data Lab Community. Themes offer us a way to focus on the topics that resonate with members and ensure we keep abreast of the latest developments in data & AI.Our monthly themes help us to explore emerging trends, share practical insights and spark meaningful discussions throughout the year. Through a

Event Recap - Data & AI Meetup: Ethics

March 14, 2025
This month, the theme in The Data Lab Community is Ethics. With data & AI technologies becoming ever more ingrained in how we live, work and play, it is crucial that fairness, transparency and accountability are at the forefront of decision making.  The responsible development of data & AI technologies not only mitigates risks and harms to society but also fosters trust among users, promoting soci