Photo by Lee Pullen
The UK is internationally known for excellence and innovation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning. AI has already transformed the way we live, work and connect with the world around us, with widespread use across society from finance and marketing to healthcare and security.
Yet for many people, AI remains an abstract and inaccessible concept, often surrounded by myths, hype and uncertainty. Many people are unaware of the extensive applications of AI and simultaneously have concerns about the ethics and challenges of its rapidly increasing use. Global research this year has shown that, although the majority of people feel AI will result in a wide range of future benefits, only 46% of people are willing to trust AI systems (ref KPMG report Trusts, attitudes and use of artificial intelligence: A global study 2025).
Children today are meeting AI before they meet critical thinking, and the Royal Society’s statement on AI in education recognises these issues and calls for education that nurtures the knowledge, skills and dispositions that young people will need to detect, understand, critically interpret and thrive in the future (ref Royal Society news AI in education).
AI has great potential as a powerful and enabling tool and the ambitions for AI in the UK are extensive, particularly involving public sector transformation. But rapidly moving science and technology can be controversial, shrouded in misinformation, or utilised for harm rather than societal benefit. In a recent survey in the UK by the Ada Lovelace Institute, public concern across all areas of AI investigated has increased, including reports of harmful personal encounters with deepfakes, false information and financial fraud (ref Ada Lovelace Institute Ada Turing survey 2025).
With a broad and inclusive reach, the science and discovery centre network is perfectly placed to play an important role in these conversations. Could science and discovery centres and museums be the space to ‘test-and-learn’ (ref The Prime Minister’s AI Exemplars programme: A portfolio approach to public sector innovation) where young people can learn the critical and relevant skills to navigate a future AI-entangled world, and where engagement and feedback from diverse communities becomes a recognised part of the research ecosystem?