Our impact

Computer Science research often results in direct impact on various aspects of society, through technology development, or contributions to policy discussions. Below you can read five case studies of the impact our research is having, including the four case studies that contributed to our being ranked within the top 5 computer science departments in the UK for research.

Social media buttons on a phone.

Social Media, Online Disinformation, and Elections: A Quantitative, “Big Data” Perspective

Our researchers are using large-scale text analysis with the GATE open-source platform (aka Artificial Intelligence or more specifically, natural language processing) to gain valuable quantitative insights from large volumes of social media content, and thus, help answer important open questions.

Our dedicated website

Amazon Echo Dot.

Advanced Speech Recognition Technology

Our researchers are collaborating internationally to develop speech recognition technology, enabling users to interact with technology in new ways and empowering those who cannot use traditional visual interfaces.

Technology interaction

Analysing text using software.

Text Analysis Tools

Our researchers have pioneered the development of software architectures and tools for analysis of natural language text, now used worldwide by organisations such as the BBC and Oracle.

Our pioneering work

A representation of cyberspace.

Information Integration and Knowledge Management

Our researchers have developed core technologies to integrate information from data sources such as the world wide web and social media, and represent them in a useful form for querying. This technology has been used by diverse organisations from insurance companies to emergency services.

Information integration

A drone with a camera.

Informing Policies on Autonomous Weapons

Our researchers have led international efforts to identify the risks inherent in the development of autonomous weapons systems and advise on policies to regulate their deployment.

Informing policy

Social media imagery.

Rumour Detection for Social Media

Out researchers are leading a European team that is developing new techniques to distinguish rumour from fact in social media such as Twitter and Facebook. This can be particularly important during major emergencies.

The Pheme project