It has been a busy start to the year at the ODI, with our latest research and technical updates focusing on the infrastructure behind global AI and data sharing.
So, whether you are interested in how generative AI navigates complex datasets or the mitigation of systemic risks in large online platforms, our upcoming sessions and recently published reports offer deep dives into the evidence-based insights shaping the future of the data ecosystem. And if you want a round-up of the highlights of our work in 2025, you can read about them here in our annual review.
In February, we supported the release of the 1.1 update to the Croissant metadata standard, helping improve how hundreds of thousands of datasets are documented online and used for machine learning and AI. The 1.1 update enables richer annotation of data, meaning a publisher can tell the users of their datasets the information they need to know about how the data was collected or how it should be interpreted. With mappings to other metadata standards too, Croissant 1.1 is stepping forward as a way to get everyone on the same page, speaking the same language, when using data for AI. You can read our blog about the update to the standard here, or read the MLCommons blog here.
Later this month, we’ll be publishing a report on our development of an independent pilot of the UK government’s ambition of a National Data Library. We set out to build this pilot with a small team and limited resources, using our previous research to guide its construction. You can read about our experience doing so, our recommendations for the government to embark on this process themselves, and how you can access the prototype and use it yourself. Be the first to know! Follow us on LinkedIn
New insights & research
The ODI’s CoCoDa team were in Brussels this February for a two-day workshop with fellow CoCoDa colleagues, regulators, researchers and civil society organisations, looking into the mitigation of systemic risks arising from the concentration of data and control in Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs).
Events with world experts on the data in AI
The thirteenth DCAI webinar of our series is on the way! On 26 March, I’ll be joined by Ian Makgill, Joe Massey and another guest speaker to talk about “Data Portals of the Future”, discussing what the designers and maintainers of data portals will need to consider as the global digital ecosystem shifts. With a focus on public sector data portals, we’ll speak about the UK Government’s plans for the National Data Library (NDL) and where recent research could guide its development. Beyond the tech, we’ll also provide our insights on the social environment around data and AI in the context of big data portals, revealing our thoughts on the immediate and long-term next steps for data infrastructure to take. You can book the event here.
In addition I’ll be presenting my talk ‘Open data infrastructure in the age of generative AI’ Jean Golding Institute, University of Bristol, Wednesday 18 March. Book here.
Don’t miss Solid World March: Modelling, analysing, and sharing research data Mon 23 March, 2026, 4:00 PM GMT. Tickets available here.
Recent highlights
ODI Research Associate and CoCoDa team member, Jake Stein, featured on a panel in Paris on 11 February at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector. The session looked at centering rightsholders in digital supply chain accountability tools, and Jake contributed based on his work with drivers and trade union organisers.
I was delighted to present the Keynote – AI and the New Decision Frontier at
The EEA Hospitality Leaders Symposium 2026. You can watch ithere
