The ICAI Mentorship Programme.
AI for the future, by the future
Rolling mentorship for young people aged 13–18 — free, expert-led and open year-round.
✦ The programme
From bold idea to ethical proposal.
The Initiative for Conscious AI empowers young innovators to explore, understand and shape the future of artificial intelligence. What began as a national challenge has evolved into a rolling mentorship programme: an ongoing opportunity to develop bold ideas, apply ethical thinking, and design AI solutions that address real-world societal challenges.
Each participant is matched with a mentor who offers guidance and encouragement throughout — sharing insights to strengthen ideas, weigh ethical implications, and navigate the key stages of development. Students lead their own projects; mentors help them grow in confidence and clarity as they bring their ideas to life.
Apply
Tell us about yourself and the idea or problem you care about. No technical experience required — curiosity and purpose matter most.
Match
We pair you with a mentor whose expertise fits your idea — developers, researchers, lawyers and strategists from our network.
Build
Regular sessions to shape your concept, consider its ethical implications and develop it into a strong proposal.
Showcase
Outstanding projects earn opportunities to present their work and collaborate with expert developers to prototype their ideas.
✦ Our approach
AI with ethics at its core.
Think critically
We encourage participants to think about the technologies they create — not just how AI can solve problems, but how it can do so fairly, transparently and ethically.
Design responsibly
Through responsible design practices and supportive mentorship, we foster a deeper understanding of AI's impact on society and the world.
Build with purpose
We instil a mindset where innovation and responsibility go hand in hand — solutions that prioritise human dignity, societal wellbeing and long-term positive change.
✦ Governance
The ICAI Board.
The Initiative for Conscious AI is governed by a board spanning education, law, technology, business and philanthropy.
Islée Oliva Salinas
Board Member
A London-based Venture Partner serving as Trustee, Board Member and Executive Council to a diverse portfolio of special interest groups and charitable and humanitarian organisations. She supports humanitarian causes, environmental conservation and intercultural educational endeavours, with a keen interest in the creative and performing arts.
Inde Uppal
Board Member
A digital transformation leader with over 30 years of experience across leading global brands, government and policing organisations. He believes young people hold the power to lead technological transformation — and through mentoring aims to ignite curiosity, build confidence, and help the next generation shape a better world with purpose and creativity.
Dame Asha Khemka
Board Member
A pioneering educator and advocate for transformative learning. As Principal and CEO of West Nottinghamshire College from 2006, she led it to national recognition for excellence in vocational education. Honoured with an OBE in 2009 and a DBE in 2014 — one of the first Indian-born women to receive the distinction in 80 years.
Bianca Farthing
Founder & Director
An education and digital innovation researcher whose Oxford Master's examined generative AI in schools. Founder of AI Edify and the Initiative for Conscious AI, both advancing ethical, human-centred uses of AI in education and youth innovation. Now a doctoral researcher at Durham University exploring the impact of AI on young people.
Sanjeev Baga
Board Member
A senior business leader with over 25 years of international sales, commercial and operations experience in technology, now applied to fast-growth social impact businesses. He coaches social enterprise founders, mentors early-career professionals, and speaks in schools about the skills of the future.
Baljinder Bath
Director
A barrister at 4PB specialising in family law, child protection and the safeguarding of vulnerable individuals. Undertaking an MSt in AI, Ethics and Society at Cambridge, she advises AI Edify on ethical integration and safeguarding in education, serves as a Director of ICAI, and advocates for the Safe AI for Children Alliance.
"The Initiative for Conscious AI empowers young minds to weave ethics into the fabric of innovation, ensuring that each idea not only shapes the future, but nurtures it with responsibility, compassion, and purpose."✦ Bianca Farthing — ICAI Director ✦