Hello ODI Supporter,
The data chief of NHS England this week pledged to ignore the hullabaloo about Palantir as she set out plans to embed the firm’s technology deeper into hospitals. She has told colleagues the Federated Data Platform (FDP) is delivering “outstanding results”, speeding up surgery and helping patients get home quicker, and promised to achieve “maximum product penetration”. However, some NHS staff are refusing to work on the FDP due to Palantir’s role in US defence and immigration enforcement, while government ministers are looking at options to action a break clause in the £330 million contract. While the data chief set out her plans for the year and beyond, she is due to step down from her role this month, leading some to speculate the intention was to make sure her successor remains committed to the FDP.
Meanwhile, the British Medical Association has called for doctors to remain in control of GP data in the single patient record (SPR). Under current plans, the SPR will bring together data from primary care, hospitals, and mental health services in England by 2028, with the Department of Health and Social Care being the data controller. But there has been pushback from GP leaders, arguing that doctors should remain in control of GP data. A campaign group warned that if SPR data were to be under government control, there would be a risk that politicians could have greater influence over how medical records are used.
Launched under a barrage of hyperbole, OpenAI’s Stargate UK project has been put on ice. The project was intended to support Britain in establishing the infrastructure needed to run AI models, mainly Nvidia chips and datacentres. A Guardian investigation revealed last month that the site of a supercomputer scheduled to go live in 2026 was still a scaffolding yard in Essex, while AI has still not taken up many of the Nvidia chips it said it would. The tech company cited high energy costs and regulation as the reason for the project to stall. Last month, the government axed its earlier proposals to allow AI firms to use copyrighted content unless rights holders opt out. The move was widely criticised by the tech firms.
Supermarket chain Tesco is trialling an AI assistant with its staff before a possible rollout to all customers that could radically change the way people plan meals and shop. More than 280,000 employees will test the tool, which is linked to their Clubcard data, which can access previous shopping history and preferences to suggest recipes, account for dietary requirements, and select meals using leftover ingredients in the cupboard or fridge. The company’s in-house app, data science and engineering teams have been working under secrecy protocols on the app since last autumn, with UK AI firm Tomoro AI and OpenAI. Feedback from staff could even result in giving the app a name. Hope it’s a good one. Appy Meal, anyone? Actually, I might trademark that…
We’re delighted to announce a webinar examining Image Empire, Dr Alan Warburton’s new animated short film, which tells the story of how 21st century visual culture is built through a simultaneous capture of real, human and nonhuman data, and world-modeling through simulation. Alan will be joined by Harmeet Chagger (Head of Digital and Innovation at The Space), Dr Maya Indira Ganesh (Associate Director of Research Culture & Partnerships at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence), John O’Shea (Creative Director and Co-CEO at the National Videogame Museum) and Hannah Redler-Hawes (Director of Data as Culture, the ODI), chaired by Dr. Oonagh Murphy (Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths, University of London). The webinar takes place on Wednesday 6 May, 13:00-14:00 BST. Book now. There is also time to get tickets for our webinar on ethics in technology with Police Scotland on Wednesday 29 April, 12:00-13:00 BST, and our exploration of smart data in transport on Tuesday 12 May, 16:00-17:00, so don’t miss out.
And finally… the RSPCA was forced to deny allegations this week that pictures it posted of 250 dogs living at a property were created by AI. The charity took in 87 of the dogs, found at a location in the UK, while the remainder went to the Dogs Trust. People on social media users initially dismissed the images as AI fakes. The RSPCA has faced a 70% increase in multi-animal incidents, referring to calls involving 10 or more animals. The owners of the property said they lost control of the breeding of poodle-cross dogs, and the situation rapidly “got out of hand”.
Until next time.
David and Jo
