Samsung’s FAIR Future festival tour invites young people to get ‘hands-on’ with AI at Norwich Science Festival

  • Samsung is taking artificial intelligence on the road and into communities across the UK as part of its FAIR Future festival tour to involve everyone in AI, by making it easier to understand
  • The interactive tour kicks off at the Norwich Science Festival between 18th and 25th October and will continue across the UK in 2020
  • Young people will get to see AI in action with live demos, be asked to share their opinions on the ethical implications of AI and, get a better understanding of how AI already shapes our world and how it will in the future
  • The tour is in response to the findings uncovered in the FAIR Future report which revealed that while young people are interested in AI, they lack information and don’t feel able to influence how it develops in future
  • AI expert and author of Hello World, Hannah Fry is backing the nationwide initiative

LONDON, UK  – Samsung kicks off its interactive FAIR Future festival tour at Norwich Science Festival, giving young people the opportunity to learn more about artificial intelligence, get ‘hands-on’ with one of the most important technologies of our age and share their views and opinions on the ethical implications of AI.

At the FAIR Future festival, taking place between 18th and 25th October, young people will get the opportunity to immerse themselves in interactive AI experiences, including:

  • Chat with Sammy the Robot – a humanoid robot powered by AI will move around the festival engaging visitors in conversations about AI, as well as singing, dancing and telling stories
  • Test your knowledge with the AI Expert – an AI-powered avatar that will put visitors’ knowledge to the test and help them learn more about the AI that is already all around us
  • See the world through the eyes of a driverless car – in partnership with MathWorks visitors can test AI’s ability to recognise objects. Can AI tell an animal apart from a human?
  • Can artificial intelligence make art? Visitors will be able to pose for a picture and watch AI transform them into a work of art to take home with them

Young people in attendance will also have the opportunity to share their opinions on the ethical implications of AI and add their voices to the largest ever conversation on AI through live polling taking place across the festival.

The tour, continuing across the UK in 2020, is in response to the findings uncovered in Samsung’s FAIR Future report which revealed that while young people (ages 13 to 17) are interested in AI, they lack information and don’t feel they are able to influence how it develops in future:

  • Despite feeling optimistic about the impact of AI on society, many feel helpless to influence the way this technology develops. Over half (58%) of teens feel they and their families have no influence over how AI develops in the future
  • Young people are also keen to have a say in how AI ethics are shaped, as opinion is still divided about how we approach the ethical dilemmas AI will face. 77% of 13-17-year-olds believe they should be involved in shaping the ethics of AI
  • 61% say they are interested in AI, with 85% stating they believe that AI will replace some jobs.
  • Young people surveyed were most looking forward to new AI technology bringing enhanced healthcare (91%), giving the elderly or those with disabilities more autonomy in their lives (88%) and educational resources that can adapt to the user’s learning style (85%).
  • 64% of young people classify their understanding of AI as ‘low’ or ‘medium’
  • A quarter (24%) say a lack of education is the reason many people don’t know when products and services contain AI, and half (50%) want classes in school to make AI easier to understand

Alongside the FAIR Future festival tour, Samsung is working to involve everyone in AI, by;

  • Creating a FAIR Future online hub, to help people better understand what AI is, how AI is already part of their lives, and explore how it might evolve in the future
  • Launching Not A School a new, educational experience at the new Samsung Showcase space, KX, London, which brings young people together to address pressing issues and create solutions, whilst learning vital skills needed for the workplace of the future that will be transformed by rapid innovations in technology. Led by inspirational speakers, the four-week programme covers different themes with bespoke projects, with next week’s sessions looking at AI and ethics; looking at ‘Humanising Technology’ and challenging participants to debate the opportunities and challenges in AI
  • Sharing what we learn with wider AI stakeholders, including the UK Government, to help inform broader thinking about AI ethics and shape the future

Teg Dosanjh, Director of Connected Living for Samsung UK and Ireland, said: “Over the past few years, we, the tech industry, have not done a good job at making AI understandable to everyday people. People, especially young people, feel disconnected and unable to influence the technology that will shape the way they live in future. This needs to change if AI is going to become a technology that benefits human beings and helps everyone in society.

“That’s why at Samsung we’re launching the FAIR Future tour to hear the views of young people and lead the nation’s biggest ever conversation on AI. It’s clear that young people want a role in helping shape the future of AI ethics and with our programme of events and online hub, we’re reconnecting everyone with one of the most influential technologies of our age. Through this, we hope to stimulate awareness, understanding and promote individual control of AI in people’s lives.

“We’ll also be sharing the extensive and unique consumer insights we gather with stakeholders that will shape the future strategy of AI and ultimately give consumers more control over the development and application of this technology.”

Hannah Fry, Associate Professor in the mathematics of cities at University College London, has explored the implications of AI on human society in her book Hello World and is supporting Samsung’s FAIR Future initiative to encourage more people to have a say in how AI ethics is shaped.

“It’s difficult to imagine an industry that will be untouched by AI – from how we travel, to how we diagnose and treat medical conditions or sentence criminals. The changes that are coming are going to affect all of us – for better or worse – and we all deserve a say in what our future should look like.

“That’s why it’s so important to open the doors to a national conversation. It’s why I’m enormously proud to be part of this project, to demystify artificial intelligence, to take stock of the public’s attitude to AI, and to hear people’s concerns. To do so in a way that invites rather than excludes and to allow everyone to be a part of shaping the way ahead.”

To find out more about the FAIR Future programme and download the full report, visit the website at https://www.samsung.com/uk/explore