University of Oxford held its inaugural artificial intelligence-focused conference last month, bringing together investors and the world’s foremost researchers in the area.
University of Oxford sees itself “as an artificial intelligence powerhouse,” vice-chancellor Louise Richardson said during her opening speech to the AI@Oxford conference, the first such event put on by the institution – though you would not know it from the hundreds of people filling out the large lecture theatre in the Saïd Business School and an overflow room next door. As speakers and delegates would prove time and again over the course of the next two days, Richardson was, if anything, underselling her institution.
Half of the spinouts generated by University of Oxford in its 800-year history have been in the past five years. These portfolio companies span the entire breadth of industries, but Richardson had no trouble identifying AI spinouts, of which she highlighted Oxbotica, an autonomous vehicle software developer, as a particular success story.
It was important to understand that “the Hollywood version of AI” – conscious machines…
Thierry Heles
Thierry Heles is the editor of Global University Venturing, host of the Beyond the Breakthrough interview podcast and responsible for the monthly GUV Gazette (sign up here for free).
