Identities, Security & Society

Cohort 1

Cohort 2

Cohort 3

Exploring identity, privacy and security in AI.

Identity, privacy and security in AI present a fundamental challenge. When AI systems verify identity, detect threats, or make security decisions, they aren’t simply processing data but engaging with deeply cultural questions: What does identity mean across different communities? How much sensitive identity information should you share in order to get the best response from an AI agent? How do citizens make sense of trust in automated systems? Whose values are being embodied in AI decision-making?

Your research could explore how AI systems might represent multiple valid perspectives on identity rather than imposing homogeneous categories. You might investigate how human-AI ensembles in privacy or security contexts could enhance rather than replace human judgment, or how citizens interpret and make meaning of AI-driven identity verification in ways that differ from designers’ intentions. Potential directions include developing interpretive frameworks for identity systems that respect cultural diversity, creating collaborative human-AI approaches that preserve human agency, or examining how participatory design methods can enable communities to shape the AI systems that capture and share identity information.

This theme addresses a critical gap: AI systems increasingly respond to identity information and seek to address privacy and security concerns, yet they often lack frameworks for interpreting the cultural complexity these domains entail. The UK’s 2023 Online Safety Act has made issues such as age verification a pressing issue, whilst the 2024 National Cyber Security Strategy and Digital Identity Trust Framework was designed to impact millions of citizens, but their effectiveness depends on engaging meaningfully with diverse human contexts. Your work could help ensure AI systems in these sensitive domains enhance human capabilities whilst reflecting the plurality and contextual nuance essential to democratic societies.

Place-based and Regional Context

The North-East presents exceptional research opportunities at the intersection of digital transformation and social challenge. The region has 12.1% internet non-users (second highest in the UK) and a 20.7% population over 65 (rising to 25% by 2043), creating acute digital identity and security needs. Yet major investment is transforming the landscape: a £4.2 billion devolution deal over 30 years, a £10 billion AI Growth Zone (Blackstone investment at Cambois), and Sunderland’s award-winning Smart City programme with 30 Digital Health Hubs serving 465,000 visits in 10 months. In 2025 the North-East Combined Authority (NECA) announced a £30 billion investment in order to make the North East an ‘AI Growth Zone’. However, stark gaps persist: only 18% of North East businesses integrate AI (versus 37% in London), 33% of Sunderland residents are digitally excluded, and 65% live in the most deprived areas. The region’s £750 million pharmaceutical sector, £2 billion digital sector, and 3.1 million NHS patients all face cybersecurity, digital identity, and AI adoption challenges. This unique combination of vulnerable populations, major industry, emerging AI infrastructure, and active digital transformation creates ideal conditions for research exploring how AI systems can engage meaningfully with diverse cultural contexts and community needs rather than imposing homogeneous technical solutions.

Relevant Partner Organisations

Your research could benefit from partnerships spanning government, industry, and community sectors. Ofcom is the UKs regulator for the Online Safety Act. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recognises Northumbria as an Academic Centre of Excellence and coordinates with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on the £1 billion AI investment and Cyber Security Bill. The Cabinet Office’s GOV.UK One Login serves over 11 million users, whilst the Department for Work and Pensions handles identity verification for 20 million customers through its Dynamic Trust Hub.

Industry partners include Yoti (14 million wallet downloads), which pioneers privacy-preserving biometric identity verification. Northumbria Police and Cleveland Police operate the Regional Cyber Crime Unit with established university research collaborations. Newcastle City Council (UK Smart City 2019) deploys IoT sensors and digital services across the city. CyberNorth CIC operates cybersecurity innovation centres, whilst Digital Safety CIC develops AI-powered cyber range training platforms through Innovate UK funding.

Cabinet Office Cleveland Police CyberNorth CIC Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Department for Work and Pensions Digital Safety CIC National Cyber Security Centre Newcastle City Council Northumbria Police Ofcom Yoti