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Hello.
Today it's become obvious that artificial intelligence, AI,
is going to play a huge part in our future.
But not everyone's entirely clear or indeed in agreement on how that will pan out.
And a lot of conversations around AI and machine learning still reference the idea of a dystopian future where Terminator-style robots are our overlords.
But...
Don't panic.
My guest today says that's all rubbish.
Neil Lawrence is the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge.
A mechanical engineer by training, Neil's story is one of contrasts.
He's worked for both academia and Amazon.
He's plied his trade on oil rigs and helped set up data workshops in Africa.
Perhaps most improbably, he's both a keen cyclist and a petrolhead.
During his career,
Neil's also been involved with deploying AI and machine learning across fields as varied as movie animation,
Formula One strategy and local planning applications.
And he says ultimately, all his efforts are about making a difference to our everyday lives,
explaining as scientists and academics,
we do well to focus less on getting the front cover of scientific journals and more on influencing the front cover of the local paper.