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New Scientist Live - October

New Scientist Live - October

Since my early undergrad days, I have studied the history of human evolution, fixated on how the new genetics would transform who we are and how we see ourselves.

Alongside vast amounts of technological entanglement, games and game playing remain a consistent feature of the human condition.

In recent years, my focus has turned to esports, as the most advanced example of this characteristic and the pursuit of game playing is one of those features of being human that we would not wish to turn over to artificial intelligence.

By working with the British Esports Federation and the Global Esports Federation, while maintaining a close involvement with the International Olympic Committee – IOC and the many organizations who work hard to ensure that the youth of the world remains served by these mega-events, I've seen just how much there is to gain by ensuring that we continue to be a species who plays games.

Join me on the Futures Stage at New Scientist Events this year to discover 'How gaming changed the world"

https://live.newscientist.com/nsl-london-2025-talks-programme/how-gaming-changed-the-world?&sortby=customfield_2734%20asc%2Ccustomfield_2730%20asc&filters.stream=engage-stage-1%2Cfuture-8%2Cmind-and-body-1%2Cour-planet-1%2Cuniverse-9&searchgroup=libraryentry-nsl-london-2025-talks-programme

Manchester-India Sport Business Summit

Manchester-India Sport Business Summit

Alongside India’s bid for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic Games, Manchester’s new partnership with India led with a delegation visit at the end of July, taking place in the same week as the new UK-India free trade deal announcement.

I was delighted to offer a keynote on the recent creative legacies of the Olympic Games, focusing on innovation. It was a fantastic week of insight to how India is developing and I’m very optimistic for its chances!

Artificial Intelligence in Research

Artificial Intelligence in Research

It was a pleasure to be the keynote for the inaugural Higher Education Scholarly Symposium for the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology this week discussing 'AI Ethics in Scholarly Activity'.

AI is such a critical issue for all levels within education and I’m so glad that we’re promoting conversation and collaboration in the region.

Manchester's Tech Community

Manchester's Tech Community

Fantastic to take part in a panel this week in MediaCity for delegations from India and Brazil, seeking to invest into Greater Manchester.

SEG3 London

SEG3 London

Fantastic to be back at the SEG3 event in London. Great session on how to grow innovation from within a company, with Geoffrey Cheng ,Investment Manager Comcast & James Bowles, Head of Strategy & Business Development, Sky Sports



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The International Olympic Academy

The International Olympic Academy

Back to the International Olympic Academy again to speak to the next generation of Olympic athletes and leaders at the 65th Young Olympic Ambassadors Session. 


We have opening lectures in Athens with IOC President Thomas Bach who steps down from his role on Olympic Day, 23rd June. 


This may well be his last IOA ceremony and our theme for the session is artificial intelligence. 


What a way to finish, ushering in a new era of Olympic sport, where technology is at the heart of all primary strategic objectives.


From the Olympic Esports Games to the Olympic AI Agenda, not to mention securing the Games and the welfare of athletes, AI is the great hope and the Olympic are the world's most accomplished innovators.  


With Intel, Samsung, Alibaba, and many more partnerships, the end of 20th Century television is less of a problem now than it was 5 years ago. 


My first talk on virtual realities and the digital future of the Olympic Games was given in Lausanne in 2001 and I'm really pleased to have published an article for the IOC Essential collection looking ahead to the next 20 years. 


You can download it here

https://library.olympics.com/Default/essential-readings.aspx

Talking AI at Cheltenham Science Festival

Talking AI at Cheltenham Science Festival

Fantastic to be back at Cheltenham to talk about how AI is changing the way we think about intellectual property. Amazing to have Craig Smith from Salford Uni join us!

Business of Science Conference 2025

Business of Science Conference 2025

We had a fantastic time at the conference this year, with over 30 colleagues from the University with students attending from all levels! Here’s how it felt to be there.

MITIH x CDI Showcase

MITIH x CDI Showcase

Marking the end of the first phase of the MediaCity Immersive Technologies Hub, this showcase was a fantastic celebration of all the work done . Discover more about our next phase on LinkedIn

BETT Global 2025

BETT Global 2025

It was an absolute pleasure to speak about gaming and esports at this year’s BETT, a remarkable event that is a must ofr educators. Here’s the record from British Esports.

TEDx University of Salford

TEDx University of Salford

This Saturday, we have the University of Salford TEDx event at Media City. Our theme this year is Seek Higher Things, featuring a fantastic lineup of speakers sharing inspirational stories. The event is sold out in person, but online tickets are still available. Visit our website to get involved.

Safe Sport international - How can the media help safeguard sport?

Safe Sport international - How can the media help safeguard sport?

I was very pleased to speak at the annual meeting of Safe Sport International, focusing on how the media and new forms of media - artificial intelligence and social media - can play a more pivotal role in safeguarding in sports. There’s no way to access the session, but here are the headlines:

  1. the scale of AI in sport is going to create an entirely new content creation / media landscape

  2. There is a need for monitoring and supporting safeguarding training from accredited media at sports events

  3. Citizens at events can be engaged positively to monitor and safeguard using their mobile devices.

The BEYOND Conference

The BEYOND Conference

What a massive event! incredible to have brought this to MediaCity, such a fantastic team effort. Here’s my session from the conference.

AI in Immersive Audio

AI in Immersive Audio

Delighted to take part in the KitPlus Show this year, discussing all things tech! Sadly, Emma Young from the BBC couldn’t make it but check out utu.be/A7WRRHm_fMc?si=APCLrTcKjeEa9D2dwhat they do!

The role of AI in Space Exploration

The role of AI in Space Exploration

What can we trust AI to do in Space and will it better our lives back on Earth? 

This was the question we tried to answer for Manchester Science Festival this year! Here was the brief

Take a journey into the unknown with our expert panel and discover how AI could be applied to Space exploration.

Sit down with STEM champion, social entrepreneur and computer scientist, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, and the UK Space Agency's Head of Space Exploration, Libby Jackson OBE, as they discuss how their worlds collide in this interactive forum.

Joined by Professor Andy Miah PhD, Chair of Science Communication and Future Media at the University of Salford, our panel explores the endless opportunities of this evolving technology, from rover navigation, satellite design and lasering space junk, to the weather and television communications.

Is the future already here, or are we just talking science fiction?

Future of Media Manchester

Future of Media Manchester

It was a pleasure to speak at the first FoMM event in Manchester at the end of last month, giving a lightning talk on IMMERSIVE INTELLIGENCE. It was a fantastic event, very well organized and massive!

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SEG3 Culture x Technology

SEG3 Culture x Technology

It was a pleasure to be back again at the SEG3 conference taking place in London, having the opportunity to discuss the future of technology with Herman Narula. We covered a lot of ground, but the one area that struck me most was the part of the discussion that focused on values and how a metaverse can be a place where new value systems around digital living can image. This seems crucial at a time when there is significant concern about data expolitation.

Sport Accord

Sport Accord

This year, I was really happy to be back at Sport Accord, speaking about all things technology. We covered artificial intelligence, immersive tech, and gaming to talk about the future of sport. You can find one of my talks acrhived on YouTube here