Professor Neil Lawrence is the inaugural DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge where he is also the academic lead of AI@Cam, the University’s flagship mission on AI. He is also a Senior AI Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute, visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield and author of the forthcoming book The Atomic Human (release date 6th June 2024).

Jessica is currently Director of AI@Cam, a new University of Cambridge strategic mission to develop AI technologies that serve science, citizens, and society.

Alongside this role, she leads a variety of research and policy programmes tackling the real-world challenges associated with developing and deploying AI for societal benefit. These include: Accelerate Science, an initiative developing AI tools and collaborations in support of research and innovation; the Data Trusts Initiative, an incubator programme for pilot projects creating trustworthy data governance frameworks; and strategic research agenda development for the ELISE/ELLIS network of European AI research.

Her interests in AI and its consequences for science and society stem from her policy career, in which she worked with parliamentarians, leading researchers and civil society organisations to bring scientific evidence to bear on major policy issues. At the Royal Society, Jessica established and led a wide-ranging programme of policy development, public dialogue and international engagement that explored the frontiers of AI technologies and their implications for society.