About Anekanta®

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Our Origins and Vision

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The Innovation Centre, Sci-Tech Daresbury, UK

Anekanta®AI, based at the Innovation Centre in Sci-Tech Daresbury, the UK’s premier science and AI hub, are leading providers of AI strategy, risk, literacy and governance services. Our hybrid teams work with international stakeholders in high-risk sectors such as transportation, aviation, aerospace, retail, education, industrial processing, law enforcement, ‘big tech’, critical national infrastructure, and public services. We specialise in helping organisations exploit opportunities with AI while mitigating risk and ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks.

Our Services

Anekanta®AI provides AI strategy, risk, literacy and governance services for organisations operating in high-risk, high-stakes sectors. We enable increased AI adoption and success through an AI system lifecycle approach from development through to deployment. This means we help organisations assess opportunities and risks, leverage the global AI Management System standard ISO/IEC 42001 and comply with the EU AI Act’s AI literacy, transparency and high-risk conformity assessment requirements. We address AI literacy through our board training, practical workshops and custom designed organisational programmes.

AI Strategy and Risk

  • AI Use Case Evaluation
    We undertake confidential AI use case evaluations, including cost-benefit analyses, road map reviews, and existential risk modelling. Our projects assess risks both pre- and post-implementation, helping organisations gain competitive advantages while mitigating potential downstream issues.
  • AI and Technology Strategy Consulting
    Anekanta® offers research and expert due diligence services for AI mergers and acquisitions. We evaluate AI acquisition targets, focusing on intellectual property value, scalability, bias, and competitive landscape. Post-acquisition, we support the integration of AI technologies, helping businesses maximise revenue and profitability.
  • Risk and Impact Assessment for High-Risk and Biometrics AI
    Our proprietary AI Risk Intelligence System™ is designed for assessing high-risk AI applications, including those which create inferences from biometric data, ensuring compliance with the EU AI Act and other global regulations. Furthermore, we generate privacy impact and risk assessment reports for users considering facial recognition technology to ensure the use of the technology is tightly controlled.

AI Literacy

  • AI Literacy Training Aligned with Article 4, EU AI Act
    To meet the AI literacy requirements under the EU AI Act, provider and deployer organisations must proactively train key personnel in AI governance, risk management, and ethical AI use. Anekanta® is committed to bridging the AI literacy gap, equipping leaders with the expertise required to navigate the evolving AI regulatory landscape. Our AI Literacy practices have been published in the EU AI Pact Living Repository.
  • CPD Certified AI Literacy and Governance Training for Boards and Senior Leaders
    Anekanta®’s “AI in the Boardroom: AI Literacy and Governance for Board and Senior Leaders” is a CPD Certified Course for professionals. This one day course, which can be split into modules to meet time constraints, is designed for business leaders. It covers everything you need to know if you are a board member making decisions about AI opportunity and risk in your business. From AI technology essentials, case studies, risk scenarios, how to use GPTs – through to how to use Anekanta®’s AI governance framework, the regulatory landscape and management systems (ISO/IEC 42001) – directors will be enlightened and empowered by our course which has been designed with leadership in mind.
  • AI Literacy and Governance Workshops: From Principles to Practice
    Anekanta®’s AI Literacy and Governance Workshops are designed to empower technical and non-technical leaders with the foundational AI literacy to understand responsible AI concepts. Once equipped with an understanding of the operation of these systems, workshops are designed to aid successful governance by transforming these principles into real business contexts and environments. Anekanta®’s AI Literacy and Governance Workshops aid leaders to utilise AI confidently and compliantly, with the goal of creating value and driving growth.
  • Custom Designed AI Literacy Programmes
    We work with global organisations to help them develop in-house AI literacy training programmes in accordance with the EU AI Act AI Literacy requirements and alignment with their global business objectives. We help organisations who have enabled AI – without a clear strategy, training programme or integration into job description and competency matrices – to fully adopt AI as part of their daily operations or AI enhanced products and services, safely and efficiently while retaining a human-first approach to meaningful oversight.

AI Governance

  • EU AI Act Compliance Services
    Compliance with the EU AI Act is now a legal requirement. Anekanta® works closely with clients to assess their AI use cases, development road maps, and risk exposure to ensure adherence to the relevant legal obligations, based on their specific classification and AI systems’ functions.
  • Preparation Services for ISO/IEC 42001
    For organisations preparing to adopt the international AI management system (ISO/IEC 42001), Anekanta® offers expert guidance to help navigate the preparatory steps toward this complex certification process. Our knowledge in AI ethics and governance ensures a smooth transition towards certification success.
  • Responsible AI Governance Framework for Boards
    Our Responsible AI Governance Framework, developed in 2020, guides Boards in navigating high-level responsibilities and accountabilities related to AI. Whether a company is just starting its AI journey or recognising that AI governance is mission-critical, our framework provides actionable insights for responsible AI management.

The Anekanta® Difference

  1. Impartiality in AI technology
    Anekanta® offers objective services for the entire AI technology value chain. From development and procurement to use case scenario analysis, we provide thorough evaluations of tools, techniques, and AI systems to identify risks and address regulatory gaps.
  2. Deep business understanding
    We bring practical business insight, understanding power dynamics and statutory duties that can hinder innovation. We recognise how these dynamics vary by the stage of business development, from start-up to mature operations, enabling us to offer tailored advice that aligns with both organisational goals and shareholder interests.
  3. Diverse and discreet teams
    Our diverse, flexible teams deliver balanced, custom advice, supported by a proprietary knowledge base. Many of our experts remain discreet to protect against unethical recruitment and industrial espionage, ensuring confidentiality and focus on client needs.
  4. Strong ethical and legal protections
    Anekanta® operates under strict non-disclosure agreements to safeguard intellectual property. Our clients’ proprietary knowledge and findings remain confidential, adding significant value to their competitive positioning while protecting their commercial interests.
  5. Actionable ethical policies
    We recognise that ethical policies can often become superficial box-ticking exercises. Anekanta® creates compelling business cases that enable boards to act decisively, improving competitiveness and profitability through continuous monitoring and ethical AI practices.

Commitment to Responsible AI

Anekanta® is dedicated to advancing the responsible use of AI by blending cutting-edge technology with ethical practices. Our services help organisations worldwide navigate the complexities of AI, ensuring that innovation is pursued responsibly, ethically, and profitably.

Anekanta® was founded in 2016 by Pauline Norstrom, an award winning technology leader and experienced statutory board director. By the end of 2019, the original brand Anekanta®Consulting was launched, shortly followed by Anekanta®AI, which is the overarching brand. In a short time the company evolved rapidly to become an internationally recognised leader in independent responsible AI services. The term ‘responsible AI’ means maximising AI benefits while minimising risks. At Anekanta®, we believe there can by only one form of AI and that is responsible AI.

Explore further

Anekanta® Team Spotlight

Our business model is flexible which means that our project teams work together on a skills and experience matrix basis to tightly fit our client’s requirements. We have selected key team members for our Team Spotlight, who contribute across multiple dimensions of Anekanta®’s service offerings.

Influencing and Collaborating

We create and shape global strategy and policy for AI applications including those in defence and security, physical and cyber security and manufacturing.

About Our Founder

An innovative and strategic leader highly skilled in blending board governance and technology. Pauline Norstrom created Anekanta® AI and Anekanta® Consulting to help the Boards and leaders of organisations to understand new technology and how it can bring benefits and ROI.