After achieving distinctions in the first year of my HND Computing, I transferred into the second year of BSc Computer Studies, graduating as the first student to be awarded a first-class honours on this course in 1996. It was during my degree that my passion for Artificial Intelligence was born.
I achieved a PgC in Research in 1997 and, while undertaking my PhD in AI, I also started teaching at Solent. I’m passionate about creating environments where people can learn about AI and I spent a decade as a senior academic teaching AI and software engineering at both undergraduate and master’s levels.
My research in the mid-1990s aided in the early understanding of the AI techniques and algorithms used today by the best-known large language models. It focused on designing and building machines that could ingest natural language and scale artificial neural networks to process vastly more sentences than had previously been achieved.
After attaining my PhD in 2005, I travelled across America and then moved to Australia. While there, I co-founded the smart web company koolth and developed commercial-grade software used in major corporations across the world.
In 2017, I co-founded AiLab (Artificial Intelligence Laboratory) to help everyone learn about the exciting field of AI. AiLab trains organisations to be AI-ready, empowering them to develop skills and build effective strategies for implementing AI. We’re proud that our workshops, talks, research and advisory services have helped thousands of people around the globe in their AI journey.
In 2020 we expanded AiLab into New Zealand. I was asked to be the AI Specialist in Residence and AI Ambassador for Auckland University of Technology (AUT), where we also launched and hosted ‘AiLab at AUT’.
Alongside my role as co-founder and Head of AiLab, I also supervise AI PhD students and have served on multiple boards and committees, including Australia’s Federal Government AI Action Plan Committee.
In 2022, I moved back to the UK to set up AiLab offices in Southampton. I’m dedicated to guiding individuals and organisations with responsibly adopting AI. All my roles support AiLab’s mission to raise global awareness and understanding of AI.
On July 10, 2025, it was an incredible honour to be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) by Southampton Solent University in recognition of my significant contributions to the field of Artificial Intelligence and education. It has been 30 years since I began working in AI, and 20 years since I achieved my PhD. It’s very humbling for my lifelong career in AI and [[education]] to be recognised.
I’m fascinated by the role AI plays in the arts by revolutionising how we preserve, understand and experience cultural heritage. Here in Southampton, a collaboration between the Royal Navy and the University of Southampton developed an AI-based system to process thousands of high-resolution photographs of HMS Victory in Portsmouth, creating detailed 3D digital models to document the ship’s restoration and monitor its structural condition.
Southampton City Art Gallery secured a £26,000 National Lottery grant to digitise a major part of its art collection, in partnership with Southampton Solent University. The project will make around 1,000 light-sensitive artworks available online for the first time and will provide digital assets that can be used to train AI algorithms to unlock further insights in the future.
AI technologies are being used in various ways to enhance accessibility. AI-powered immersive exhibitions can be tailored to individual users. Specialised large language models can provide automated translation between spoken language and sign language, enabling real-time communication support for deaf visitors. Other AI systems can convert documents into accessible formats such as braille, audio and large print, while visual recognition technology generates automatic audio descriptions of exhibits for visually impaired visitors.
With its combination of world-class universities, substantial cultural assets and a successful funding record, Southampton is ideal for AI cultural transformation. As more opportunities arise, it’s crucial that all organisations understand how to use and strategically adopt AI-based solutions. I’m proud that AiLab can play a part in helping ensure AI is deployed in a responsible way, as well as providing support for the region’s future AI needs.
