The Responsible Technology Adoption Unit (RTA), formerly the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) leads the UK government's work to promote the trustworthy development and deployment of data-driven technology, including AI. The RTA sits within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and supports DSIT's broader mission to drive responsible innovation that changes lives and sustains economic growth.
Name in original language
Responsible Technology Adoption Unit
Initiative overview
Formerly named The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, The CDEI was established in 2018 to advise the government on the measures which are needed to ensure safe and ethical innovation in data and AI. In 2024, CDEI changed its name to the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit to more accurately reflect its mission and position in government as a Directorate within DSIT. It has now become part of DSIT's wider AI Policy Directorate. The name highlights the Unit's directorate's role in developing tools and techniques that enable responsible adoption of AI in the private and public sectors, in support of the department's central mission to drive innovations that change lives and sustain economic growth.RTA champions responsible innovation across the public and private sectors to innovate through programmes and projects that:o Develop tools to help organisations measure, evaluate, and communicate whether data-driven technologies including AI work in the way that they expect;o Develop governance frameworks, guidance, and standards that enable organisations to use data and AI in a way that builds public trust; ando Demonstrate positive uses of data and AI to tackle global problems. RTA works with international partners to enable the positive and responsible use of data and AI to tackle global problems, share the UK's expertise in data ethics and AI governance, and support the development interoperable frameworks and tools.The initiative has the following objective(s):RTA works on a wide breadth of projects and programmes, focussed on supporting the responsible development and use of data and AI including:o driving the adoption of AI by supporting the development of a flourishing AI assurance ecosystem in the UK;o unlocking the value of data in the economy by ensuring it is accessed and shared responsibly;o accelerating the development of cutting-edge privacy-enhancing technologies; ando encouraging transparency about how and why algorithmic tools are used across the public sector.
Name of responsible organisation (in English)
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
