Catz Fellow Featured in #OxfordAI Campaign

Shimon Whiteson, our Fellow in Computer Science, has been featured talking about his current research by #OxfordAI, a campaign by the University showcasing its research in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Shimon’s research focuses on AI, and specifically machine learning. He is interested in building intelligent systems which learn how to behave using reinforcement learning, a technique in which robots or other intelligent systems learn using trial and error and feedback from the results of their actions.

‘The most exciting – and equally exhausting – part of working in AI is that the field is constantly, and rapidly, changing. There’s an overwhelming amount of research happening at the moment, which means priorities and challenges are always changing.

‘Oxford is a great place to work in AI as there’s a lot of world-class research happening here, and we can see AI and machine learning working in many different places – in my own department, Computer Science, and in departments such as Engineering Science, Mathematics and Statistics, but there are also users and innovators of machine learning across the University more widely.’

One of Shimon’s current research projects, which was featured by #OxfordAI, has involved creating semi-autonomous, socially intelligent robots, which are enabling the elderly and immobile to socially interact with others remotely. Watch the video below to hear Shimon speaking about the impact this work can have: