After working for the likes of the BBC, BP and KPMG, Calum took a wealth of business and media experience and combined it with a passion for technology and robotics. Now one of the leading commentators on artificial intelligence, he looks at the vast potential for both good and ill, considering the development of AI, its portrayal in the media and in fiction, and what might await us in the future.
View / Submit“All the delegates gave very positive feedback on Calum’s contributions, and he added a great deal to the day, and not just in his allocated sessions. We really appreciated him staying around.”
Hymans Robertson LLP
Calum Chase is an author specialising in the field of artificial intelligence. After three decades in business which took in roles for BP and KPMG, he now writes both fiction and non-fiction on the possibilities and problems of increasing use and reliance upon machines that learn like humans.
After working for the BBC Calum joined BP in sales and marketing in both the UK and UAE. He then moved into consulting with AMR and then KPMG where he became a director where he oversaw media and strategic and commercial intelligence. After a period returning to media and marketing, and also as CEO of a tech startup, he focused on writing.
In Calum’s widely-acclaimed non-fiction Surviving AI: The promise and peril of artificial intelligence, he examines what artificial intelligence is, where it’s come from and where it’s going, and provides a layperson’s guide to everything from the employment and economic implications to how society will cope with this emerging source of consciousness. In his novel Pandora's Brain, his student protagonist is caught up in a rivalry between an internet billionaire and the military in their pursuit of machine consciousness.
In the emergent, active debate over AI, there are as many that are excited by the possibilities as there are warning of disaster. As well as a brief historical look at the development of the new world of deep learning AI, Calum provides evidence for both sides of the argument and guides audiences through this strange new world, including emerging technologies like the metaverse. As smart glasses are poised to replace smartphones as the portal through which we access the internet and the tech giants are jostling to gatekeeper these new technologies, Calum explains what it all means, busts myths, and explains how companies can make money in the metaverse. He also considers the impact, direct or otherwise, of machine learning from driverless cars to a world where very few people have to work.