A Warwick technology company may be poised to make big strides in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector after receiving a significant grant from Innovate UK, enabling it to take part in the 'SaferAI' project.
Raiven Ltd, based at the Warwick Innovation Centre, was founded in March 2023 by data scientist Tom Ormsby and aims to revolutionise workplace health and safety by using AI to predict the likelihood of accidents.
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The “SaferAI!” project consists of a consortium of organizations, including OctaiPipe, Digital Catapult, and major consumer goods manufacturers, to create an AI model that can predict risk.
The project will enable organizations to contribute to shared AI solutions while maintaining the security and privacy of their data.
“Being part of the SaferAI Project is great news for the growth of our business,” Ormsby said.
“Our AI solutions can be used to improve almost any aspect of a business, but enabling companies to identify where accidents are likely to occur before they happen is a game-changer for worker safety and productivity.
“In theory, many companies could pool data such as accident reports and near misses to create AI-based solutions, but there is a risk that this data could be made public.
“The methodology we use is called ‘federated learning’ and it allows us to collect data from different sources but not move it around, keeping individual company data secure.
“This approach could help reduce accidents in the workplace, but federated learning could also be a way to develop further AI models for many other purposes. That's really exciting.”
Liven opened its first office at the Innovation Centre as part of the university's Science Park's 'Ignite' incubation programme and received further advice from business support programme 'BusinessReady' ahead of the SaferAI launch.
Dirk Schaefer, head of the Science Park's Ignite program, began mentoring Tom in the “Business Ready” program.
“We believe Raiven can achieve great things in the ever-changing world of AI, and are pleased that the company has been named a lead contributor to the SaferAI project, which should help it win even more work,” he said.
'Business Ready' is part of the Business Growth Warwickshire programme.
It will be delivered by the University of Warwick Science Park on behalf of Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire's five district and borough councils.
The support is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Warwickshire County Council.
Councillor Martin Watson, portfolio member for Warwickshire Business Council, said: “The Business Ready programme has supported many businesses in Warwickshire with advice tailored to their business needs.”
