Data for Policy 2024 – Decoding the Future: Trustworthy Governance with AI?

The eighth international Data for Policy conference was held 9 – 11 July, at Imperial College, London. The conference promised a packed programme, with a line-up of more than 130 presenters, speaking on topics ranging from industry’s perspective on open data, to transforming AI into a force for good.

The conference welcomed delegates from six continents, across a range of disciplines and roles, including academia, commerce and government. Of particular note, was the representation from SubSaharan Africa, who made valuable contributions to the conference special track ‘AI, Ethics and Policy Governance in Africa,’ organised by the Global Center on AI Governance.

Data for Policy founder and conference chair Dr Zeynep Engin commented, “It has been an amazing experience to host prominent thought leaders from around the world, shaping an interdisciplinary and cross-sector conversation at the intersection of Data/AI and Policy/Governance in the public interest, and collaborating with many key stakeholders and partners to make this dialogue increasingly more inclusive.”

The conference is the culmination of a year’s work: from launching a call for special track proposals, through peer review of resultant submissions, to the last talk of the conference. This edition was made possible by the contribution of a large number of people, most notably the conference chairs Zeynep Engin, Jon Crowcroft, and Stefaan Verhulst, the Imperial College co-chairs Mark Kennedy and Rossella Arcucci, the Imperial Policy Forum and Pete Ford as conference hosts. They were supported in turn by the Data for Policy team (Emily Gardner, Pinar Ozgen, Servet Yanatma, Diasmer Bloe and Muhammed Faizan Haider), our diligent expert committees and a dedicated team of volunteers.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our partner organisations, Cambridge University Press, Data & Policy journal, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Smart Data Research UK and the Alan Turing Institute, whose financial contributions ensure increasing diversity and inclusion in our community.

Keynote Speakers
Plenary Speakers

3rd Strategic Sub-Saharan African Convening in London

With the generous support of the Gates Foundation, distinguished experts from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) gathered at Imperial College London on July 8 for a pre-conference strategic working group. This event, held in the impressive boardroom of the Data Science Institute, was the third in a series, following successful meetings in Nairobi (March 2023) and Accra (October 2023). The series aims to understand, facilitate, and connect AI and data science futures within SSA’s public sector.

The workshop was a significant opportunity to present the findings of Data for Policy CIC’s work in SSA. Discussions centered on future initiatives to promote responsible and responsive algorithmic governance and enhance public service delivery. Participants engaged in lively debates to critique and refine these proposals, ensuring they reflect the goals and needs of SSA stakeholders.

As part of our Inclusion Scholarship programme, we were pleased to support 11 African researchers with discounted conference registration and travel assistance, enabling them to attend both the pre-conference working group and the main conference in London.

Thanks to the Gates Foundation‘s support, the African Track at the recent Data for Policy 2024 conference at Imperial College London was also a great success. The share of submissions from SSA to our Data for Policy conferences has increased from an average of ~2% between 2015 and 2022 to 13.45% in 2024.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their contributions to this highly productive meeting.

Together, we are shaping a more informed and responsive future for AI and data science in Sub-Saharan Africa!