Tech & AI Speakers

Calum Chace

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.

Timandra Harkness

Science writer, broadcaster, comedian and co-host of Radio 4’s FutureProofing series, Timandra examines the effects of all areas of technology. She is the author of Big Data: does size matter? and has written for Wired, the Guardian and the Telegraph.

Dr Daniel Hulme

Working in academia, the public and private sectors, Daniel is a leading expert in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies as well as its applications and the social, commercial, economic and ethical implications. In a world where many believe access to more and more data will lead to ever better decision-making, he looks at what AI really is, what it can achieve, and the potential pitfalls. He also asks how organisations need to change their structure and why people feel addicted to technology.

Priya Lakhani

Priya is the founder and CEO of CENTURY Tech, the award-winning education company that aids the implementation of AI and machine learning in classrooms. She is part of the AIDecoded team on the flagship BBC programme The Context, sharing her insights into tech and business. 

Richard Susskind

Best-selling author and independent adviser to international firms and national governments, Richard is a leading expert in two fields – on the future of professional services and on the impact of AI. His thinking on the future of the professions is covered in The Future of the Professions (2015, 2022, co-authored with his son Daniel) and has generated a global conversation. On AI, Richard has drawn on 40 years of experience of artificial intelligence in writing his upcoming book How To Think About AI: A Guide for the Perplexed offers a non-technical guide on the social and economic effects of future technologies. For Richard, balancing the b...

Lindsay Herbert

With a focus on the real-world of customers and workforces, Lindsay examines the five critical stages of digital transformation. Dealing with and embracing innovation and disruption are as much a matter of strategy and culture as they are about understanding what technology can achieve. Lindsay delivers examples and cautionary lessons in how the digital can add customer value and free up people to collaborate, innovate and focus on the human aspects of their job, but only when allowed to by internal structures.

Anne-Marie Imafidon

After a stellar academic career that saw her become one of Oxford’s youngest ever master’s graduates, Anne-Marie worked in banking and technology sectors before founding Stemettes. The pioneering social enterprise has seen thousands of women and schoolgirls pursue the study of and careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. As well as being a passionate advocate for diversity within STEM disciplines, Anne-Marie also comments on technology, the changing nature of work, and the challenges both present to business and society.

Dr Stephanie Hare

With a career that has taken in foreign policy research, tech company strategy, consultancy research and journalism, Stephanie is uniquely placed to consider the wide-ranging implications of living through a technological revolution. Looking at both the historical and political precedents, she considers what past upheavals have to teach us about AI, data privacy, policy making, cybersecurity and all aspects of the commercial and social future.

Dex Hunter-Torricke

In a career that encompasses the UN, Google, Facebook and SpaceX, as well as political speechwriting, Dex offers a rare insight in to the intersection of politics, technology, leadership and society. Referring to some of the world’s biggest and most influential companies and individuals, he examines important questions of trust, automation, innovation and values. Looking at the positive and negative effects of an increasingly connected world he sees ethical dilemmas, new types of job, competing priorities and a focus on purpose.

Mo Gawdat

As Chief Business Officer for Google X, the search giant’s much-envied R&D division, Mo led some of the tech world’s most innovative projects. It was the climax of a successful career in technology but whilst on paper he was doing well, he often felt unfulfilled. He applied his engineering skills to the problem and after almost a decade developed a model which placed happiness in overall context of the experiences and expectations of life. His work became the international bestseller, Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy.

Nina Schick

Having covered politics in journalism for companies such as the BBC and CNN and advised names including President Joe Biden, Nina is an expert on how technology transforms geopolitics and society. Now leading her own consultancy, she advises governments and businesses on issues from cybersecurity to disinformation and the effects they have on trust and democratic systems. Her book Deep Fakes explores the threat that synthetic media poses to the future and raises awareness of its dangers when weaponised.

Henry Ajder

Henry works at the frontier of the generative AI and synthetic media revolution. He presented the BBC documentary series The Future will be Synthesised, and advises organisations on the challenges and opportunities new technologies present.