Menu Breadcrumb Home About us Frequently asked questions Learn more What is data science? Billions of gigabytes of data are generated globally every day. Data science is the drive to turn this data into useful information, and to understand its powerful impact on science, society, the economy and our way of life. The study of data science brings together researchers in computer science, mathematics, statistics, machine learning, engineering and the social sciences. In this film we asked a range of Turing researchers, together with industry and government thinkers about what data science means to them – and why it is important to all of us. What is artificial intelligence? There is no accepted definition of artificial intelligence or ‘AI’ but the term is often used to describe when a machine or system performs tasks that would ordinarily require human (or other biological) brainpower to accomplish, such as making sense of spoken language, learning behaviours or solving problems. There are a wide range of such systems, but broadly speaking they consist of computers running algorithms, often drawing on data. In popular culture artificial intelligence is often viewed as sentient machines, thinking and behaving like a human. In reality, much AI is computers which are trained to perform tasks independently and which are already present in much of our lives. For example, there has been much publicity about the use of AI in decision-making, for example in the legal system. The AI in this example is driven by machine learning tools, which have taught a computer to make decisions based on the data presented to it. What is machine learning? Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that allows computer systems to learn directly from examples, data and experience. The Royal Society's recent report on machine learning provides more background. How do data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence overlap? Many of the foundational tools and methods of data science underpin machine learning and artificial intelligence. Data science, AI and machine learning require many of the same skills in mathematical modelling, computer science, statistics, mathematics. They are all long-standing areas of science which have experienced a major resurgence (in the case of AI and machine learning) or emergence (in the case of data science) thanks to increases in computer power, the ability to capture and make sense of data, theoretical break-throughs, and investment. They are all set to have a major impact on the world we live in, and provoke important ethical and societal questions. What research does The Alan Turing Institute undertake? Research at the Turing is channelled around a number of ambitious challenges which represent areas in which AI and data science can have a game-changing impact for science, society, and the economy. Find out more about our challenges, programmes of research, projects, and interest groups and the core capabilities which underpin them. How did the Institute shape its research agenda? Ahead of the launch of the Institute in 2015/16, more than 1000 people from a range of disciplines and backgrounds took part in a scoping exercise to define our initial research priorities. The outputs from this exercise are summarised in our Scoping Workshop Report. In 2018 we launched a set of eight research challenges, which were devised in consultation with partners and researchers. These challenges are representative of broader areas of applied science which the Turing works in, and will not be led by the Turing alone, but depend on significant collaboration and partnerships. Read about our vision for growing the national institute for data science and artificial intelligence (PDF). How does The Alan Turing Institute contribute to the debate on data ethics? Understanding the ethical and social issues arising from the use of data science and artificial intelligence is one of The Alan Turing Institute’s key research priorities. The members of our Data Ethics Group lead our research in this area. The group work in collaboration with the broader data science community, support public dialogue on relevant topics, and makes calls for participation in workshops and public events. The ethical expertise concentrated in the Data Ethics Group complements a wider group of researchers in the Institute exploring issues of fairness, transparency and privacy in data science. The interest group in fairness, transparency, privacy, led by Programme Director for AI Adrian Weller, includes experts in machine learning, security, causal inference and algorithm design. The group aims to develop new technical approaches to managing these ethical challenges, and to inform a broader discussion. Find out more about our work in data ethics, and the Turing's own Ethical Advisory Group which ensures that research conducted across the Institute confirms to high ethical standards. COVID-19 advice See our dedicated page here. How can I get involved? We run regular Turing Lectures featuring guest speakers discussing the latest trends in data science. We host workshops and seminars for researchers and technical audiences, as well as more general events open to all. Sign up for our newsletter mailing list to be kept informed. We aim to engage with as many researchers as possible with an interest and expertise in artificial intelligence and data science. This page lists opportunities available to researchers from across the UK (and in some cases the globe), whether you’re early in your career or a senior researcher. We also regularly advertise for talented researchers, students, data scientists and business operations staff to join us at the Turing. Look out for these on our opportunities page. Explore the Institute Sign in Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic Events News The Turing Podcast Impact stories Data science and AI glossary Blog About us Annual report Frequently asked questions Governance Training a new generation Equality, diversity and inclusion What Alan Turing means to us How to get to the Turing Research Research areas Challenges Programmes Projects AI for science and government (ASG) Research Engineering Climate action at the Turing Interest groups Publications & policy submissions Data ethics People Spotlights Researchers Doctoral Students Former Researchers Business team Governance University Liaison Opportunities at the Turing Why work at the Turing? Jobs Studentships Internships Research and funding calls Engage with the Turing as a researcher Collaborate with the Turing Industry Government bodies Research institutions Current partnerships and collaborations Data Study Groups Contact us Press office YouTube Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Instagram © The Alan Turing Institute 2021. All rights reserved. The Alan Turing Institute, a charity incorporated and registered in England and Wales with company number 09512457 and charity number 1162533 whose registered office is at British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, England, NW1 2DB, United Kingdom. For website-related enquiries email website@turing.ac.uk Legal menu Sitemap Privacy notice Cookie notice Terms and conditions Terms of acceptable use eduroam at the Turing Intranet This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. We use cookies to improve your experience when you browse our website. Using cookies, the website can 'remember' you during a single visit to the site (a session cookie) or for repeat visits (persistent cookies). For more information see our cookie notice here. You can enable all cookies and save (recommended) by clicking the button. Or you can enable or disable specific cookies by adjusting the sliders below. Clicking the X at the top will always keep the slider settings as they appear. Enable all cookies and save Necessary Cookies Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as page navigation and access to secure areas. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences. Analytics Cookies On Off Analytics allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around the site when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily. Social Cookies On Off We use social features on this site to allow you to like and share content with your social networks.