On 22nd June 2021, the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath hosted Ed Humpherson (Director General for Regulation and Head of the Office of Statistics Regulation) for a lecture entitled ‘Your algorithm doesn’t know me’ How can we make sense of a data-abundant world?
In 2020, the awarding of exam grades in the UK brought the use of algorithms and statistical modelling to the fore of public consciousness in a way that had not been seen before, despite their rise in use over many years. It raised questions about the public acceptability of statistical modelling, and communicating with the public on these subjects.
The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority, is the body responsible for upholding public confidence in statistics. In the months that followed the awarding of grades, OSR undertook a review of lessons learned from the approach to developing the models that decided exam results. Using exam grades as a test case, OSR sought to understand – in a world of abundant data, what can be learned about the real-life consequences of using algorithms?
In this lecture, Ed discussed the review’s findings, what Government and public bodies should learn from the exams case, and what it means for the use of algorithms and statistical models in public policy going forward. Fascinating, even for non-scientists! You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKPfMfGi72k
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