Seven new projects will strengthen collaborations between US and UK researchers to address the ethical, legal and societal implications of artificial intelligence (AI).

Among them is a major initiative led by the University of Glasgow that will confront bias in Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems.

The project, Discriminating dialects: mitigating bias in Automatic Speech Recognition, is led by UofG's  Professor Jennifer Smith and co-investigator Dr Faith Chui in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley's Associate Professor Nicole Holliday and David Bamman 

It will examine how ASR technologies, which convert spoken language into text,  often struggle with non-standard, stigmatised dialects, exacerbating inequalities in society. By comparing ASR performance in African, American, English and Scots, the team will explore how bias can be reduced, paving the way for more inclusive AI technologies.

This project is one of seven funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme. Together, the projects represent £1.2M of investment in cross-national collaboration, covering topics including:

  • AI’s impact on public media and discourse,
  • Law and regulation in relation to AI innovation, and
  • Resilience and sustainability in the AI ecosystem.

Investment has been made where cross-national collaboration will add value and advance the research topic.

The BRAID programme was launched by AHRC in 2022, with a total of £15.9 million in planned funding through to 2028.

In partnership with the Ada Lovelace Institute and the BBC, BRAID’s multidisciplinary team is led by co-directors Professor Ewa Luger and Professor Shannon Vallor at The University of Edinburgh.

BRAID seeks to enrich, expand and connect a mature, sustainable and responsible AI ecosystem by leveraging the power of the arts and humanities and bridging the divides between academic, industry, policy and regulatory work on responsible AI.

BRAID Co-Directors Professors Ewa Luger and Shannon Vallor said: "When BRAID was launched three years ago, our mission was to meaningfully integrate Arts and Humanities (AH) knowledge within the UK’s Responsible AI ecosystem. Over the past three years AI adoption has become a driving force within our global economy, and core to our governments’ social and economic agendas.

"There is an urgent demand for more cross-national collaborative work in Responsible AI that addresses truly global challenges, and BRAID are thrilled to welcome these seven innovative projects that leverage the power of the arts and humanities alongside AI expertise to address these challenges head-on."

AHRC Executive Chair Professor Christopher Smith said: "AI is changing our lives and challenging the boundaries of what we can know.  The US and the UK are global leaders in understanding the relationships between AI technologies and society, and the impacts these technologies have, and this investment strengthens our partnership in driving AI for good and for growth.

"These vital and timely interventions from across the research ecosystem will support responsible, safe and beneficial uses of the transformative power of AI, and show how arts and humanities research can unite academia and industry to work together for a better future."

 

 

 

 

First published: 9 December 2025

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