London Data Week at LSE
London Data Week (LDW) is a citywide, week-long public festival of data. Different organisations across London design and host public events over the week of the festival.
This year the DSI is a partner of LDW, co-hosting a day of activities on Wednesday 8th July in collaboration with the King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The day is comprised of four sessions. Three events during the day, organised by EAST2046, Bionic Awards and the Tesseract Academy will take place on the LSE campus.
The day will conclude with a panel discussion convened by DSI and King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Whose AI is it anyway? Data, sovereignty, and the geopolitics of AI. The event will take place at King's College London in Bush House and will be followed by a drinks reception.
Explore the programme:
Time: 11am to 1pm
Location: Shaw Library, LSE
Organised by: EAST2046
Register for the event
Building on the interactive exhibition curated by EAST2046 at London Data Week, this public panel discussion focuses primarily on the evolving future of AI companionship. While briefly touching upon its origins, the session prioritises the forward-looking trajectory of digital connection and artificial intimacy.
Central to this exploration is how diverse cultural frameworks fundamentally shape technological development. Panellists will examine how the interplay between Eastern and Western philosophies creates distinct approaches to AI companionship, influencing societal acceptance and ethical boundaries. This focus highlights how cultural identity remains an important driver in defining the future of human-AI relationships.
Speakers:
- Dr Eoin Fullam | Department of Social Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London
- Dr Ruby Wang | Practising doctor, strategy consultant, and writer. Founding Director of LINTRIS Health
- Ross O’Brien | Co-Founder of the XR Health Alliance
- Dr. Lois Liao (chair) | Writer and sociologist
Time: 2pm to 5pm
Location: Data Visualisation Studio, LSE
Organised by: Bionic Awards
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What if you could take a London dataset, find a story inside it, and turn this into a short animated film, all in one afternoon?
This experimental workshop from Bionic Awards brings together three disciplines: data analysis, hand-drawn illustration, and generative AI animation. Participants will take a single London-centric dataset, find an angle worth telling, sketch out a visual story, and then use AI tools to bring that sketch to life as a short animated piece.
This event is open to anyone curious about data storytelling, AI tools, or visual communication. No technical experience is needed, but participants should bring a laptop if they wish to actively participate.
Speakers:
- Sophie Sparkes | Data storyteller
- Afro Futcha (Diane Laidlaw) | AI filmmaker
- Alex Pell (moderator) | Journalist and Co-Founder of Bionic Awards
- Andy Gordon (moderator) | Filmmaker and Co-Founder of Bionic Awards
Time: 4pm to 6pm
Location: Shaw Library, LSE
Organised by: Tesseract Academy
Register for the event
This session will consider how AI can support people across a wide range of lived experiences, including sensory, physical, cognitive and neurodivergent disabilities. The event will bring together speakers from disability, technology, research and AI backgrounds to discuss both the opportunities and challenges of using AI in more inclusive and accessible ways.
The event will include a short welcome, an opening talk on AI and disability inclusion, a panel discussion with speakers from disability and technology backgrounds, practical examples of accessible AI tools. There will also be a chance for audience questions.
Speakers:
- Dr Rafie Cecilia | King’s College London
- Dr Tatia Codreanu | Imperial College London
- Owais Diaz | Vision Ability
- Jeremiah Johnson | The Tesseract Academy
- Dr Stylianos Kampakis | The Tesseract Academy
- Fabio Rovai | The Tesseract Academy
- Professor Francesca Medda | University College London
Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Location: Bush House,
Organised by: LSE Data Science Institute and King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence
Register for the event
When Anthropic's Fable 5 was ordered offline worldwide just three days after its release, it sharpened a question artificial intelligence increasingly raises: who's in control?
Most governments talk about 'sovereign' AI and some are now building it, but what does it really mean for a country, an institution, or a citizen to have a say over those systems? What happens when that control slips?
This public panel brings together leading voices to explore the technology, politics and security of AI and data sovereignty, and what's at stake for the UK. Followed by a drinks reception.
Speakers:
- Professor Helen Margetts | Director, LSE Data Science Institute
- Professor Elena Simperl | Co-Director, King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence
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