Open Data Institute

🚨 Solid26 preview: Building personal apps and AI agents 📅 Tuesday 28 - Wednesday 29 April 📍Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX The Open Data Institute is hosting a 2-day tournament (April 28–29) to coincide with the launch of Solid26 - the first annual release of the W3C Solid specification: https://lnkd.in/ep2qqeiu 🎯 Your challenge is to build a new generation of personal AI agents, apps, and websites that give people real control over their own data. The top teams will present their projects live at the 2026 Solid Symposium on April 30 - in front of the global Solid community, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The winning team takes home a £1,000 prize. Find out more. https://hubs.li/Q048TY020

#TheWeekinData: Eggsistential crisis *Data reveals knock-on effects of Iran war *Data centres causing ‘heat islands’ *Easter eggs As the war in Iran approaches its sixth week, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is being increasingly felt in the AI sector, choking the global supply of helium. The gas is used in computer chip production, as its heat-conducting properties help maintain a stable temperature in the manufacturing process. Find out more… https://hubs.li/Q049pZ1P0

In our data-centric AI webinar series, we share our own work and invite world experts with their own research and experience to share key insights and recommendations for building the data infrastructure needed to make AI safer and trusted by everyone. Catch up on all of them now. https://hubs.li/Q046TrJX0

👋 Join us for a focused virtual roundtable on Digital ID – shaping responses to the UK Government consultation. 📅 Tuesday, 14 April  ⏰ 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM BST  📍 Free online roundtable Be part of the debate as the UK considers the future of digital identity, key technical and policy design choices, and the long-term implications for privacy, interoperability, trust, and public service delivery. 🏛️ This session is designed for those with technical and/or policy expertise who can actively contribute to this discussion and help shape thinking in this space. We’ll be exploring: 🔹 The case for (and risks of) a universal unique identifier approach  🔹 Key technical challenges in cross-service matching, including interoperability, accuracy, and governance  🔹 The role of third-party digital ID holders, and what certification and assurance should look like  🔹 How government can ensure meaningful transparency in data access  🔹 Overcoming barriers when designing alternative access routes This will be a discussion-led session, with an emphasis on shared expertise, challenge, and practical insight. 🤝 If you are working at the intersection of data infrastructure, identity systems, privacy, or digital public services, this is an opportunity to contribute directly to an important policy conversation. 🚀 🔗 Book now: https://lnkd.in/ek_gVipt #DigitalID #DataPolicy #OpenData #DigitalIdentity #UKGov #PrivacyByDesign #DataInfrastructure Resham Kotecha Areeq Chowdhury Calum Inverarity

If you are thinking about how your organisation should be using data ethically, then join today’s FREE lunchtime webinar! 🕛Today! 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM BST 📍 Location: Online What’s on the agenda? 🧐 There are many pathways to ethical maturity. Should you start with light-touch training, or do you need full-scale consultancy to overhaul your processes? Our expert speakers, Dr. Kay Achenbach (Head of Data Ethics, ODI) and Elea Himmelsbach (Senior Consultant & Certified Data Ethics Professional), will share their frontline experiences on: ⚖️ The spectrum of support: From individual training to deep-dive process documentation. 🤝 Securing senior buy-in: How to make the business case for ethics at the C-suite level. 🛠️ Practical frameworks: Implementing tools that actually work in the real world (not just on paper). 📈 Managing workload: Overcoming the "we're too busy" hurdle to ensure ethics doesn't stall productivity. Why attend? 💡 If you’re looking for top tips to overcome implementation challenges and want to hear what’s working (and what isn’t) for organisations today, this is the session for you! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e4K_dWDm Book your spot now! #DataEthics #ODI #ResponsibleAI #Governance #DataStrategy #EthicalTech

#TheWeekinData: Ctrl+Alt+Defeat *Meta and YouTube found liable *UK poverty data *Join the Solid Hackathon A jury in Los Angeles has found Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to them being harmed. The trial lasted six weeks, jury deliberations lasted nine days, and in the end, the plaintiff was awarded $6 million in damages as both companies were found to have provided inadequate warning about the potential dangers of their products. Find out more… https://hubs.li/Q048BCrR0

A project to build an open data infrastructure for volunteering in the UK has reached a significant milestone today, with the ODI, Doit, and TeamKinetic publishing the outcomes from six months of work funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The ODI-led work has produced a shared, open standard for describing volunteering opportunities, covering what they involve, where they are, who they suit, and how to apply, so that data can be published once and used across many platforms and services. Find out more. #Data #Volunteering https://lnkd.in/e-EP2aG3

We are partnering with SAP to launch and grow IDEA, an interchange for data and enterprise AI. IDEA will set up a programme of research, community building, and peer learning to help enterprises of all sizes make the most of the promise AI holds through AI-ready data infrastructure, standards, and well-governed enterprise data. Across the duration of the project, the ODI and SAP will establish the IDEA steering committee to govern and steer research priorities, publish research, and convene events with industry and academic experts to share initial insights. Sign up to hear more about the project. #Data #AIReadiness #Enterprise https://lnkd.in/eKf3A4vN

Data is the foundation of AI. Poor quality data drives up costs and can lead to hidden problems for AI, while biased data negatively affects the performance of AI models. AI practitioners must dedicate time to ensuring the datasets they use are ready, meaning they can spend less time innovating and delivering AI solutions. Instead, their work would be more efficient and productive if datasets were published in a way that makes them AI-ready. In our research, we seek to define AI readiness and its underlying principles. Read more. https://hubs.li/Q0481CMf0

🚨 Last chance to book our FREE webinar 🌐 Data Centric AI 13: Data Portals of the Future 🚀 Join our expert panel as they dive into: The Global Shift | What designers and maintainers must consider as ecosystems evolve. 🌍 The National Data Library (NDL) | A look at UK Government plans and how academic research is guiding development. 📚 Human-Centric Data | Looking beyond the code to the social environment surrounding AI. 🧬 The Roadmap | Immediate and long-term next steps for global data infrastructure. 📈 🎙️ The Expert Panel: Ian Makgill | Open Opportunities 📊 Antonia P. | DSIT 🏛️ Professor Elena Simperl | Director of Research, ODI 🧬 Chair: Joe Massey | Senior Researcher, ODI 🎤 Expect a deep dive into the tech and plenty of opportunities to get your questions answered! 🙋♂️🙋♀️ 📅 When: Thursday, Mar 26, 2026  🕓 Time: 4:00 PM  🎟️ Cost: FREE Book now  https://lnkd.in/eVRkk8z9 #DataPortals #OpenData #AI #DigitalInfrastructure #NationalDataLibrary #ODI #DCAI #TechForGood #PublicSector #DataStrategy