Initial encounters with AI
I first noticed Artificial Intelligence (AI) when Chat GPT entered the public realm in late 2023. A friend, a PhD working with AI for impact, asked me if I’d heard of it and then ensued a long discussion on its implications for society. It was fascinating, but I didn’t really understand it.
My company had an energetic AI practice doing amazing things like predicting Covid-19 outbreaks by mapping peoples’ movement patterns through analysis of mobile telecommunications data. I listened in on their colleague knowledge sessions with intent. I then had opportunity to work on building AI tools for clients. Here I saw how AI was applied up close.
But the challenge I was facing was the overwhelming speed at which AI was advancing in society and in my business and I didn’t feel prepared. I needed to get ahead of the curve. This is why I enrolled on the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme, an executive education course I felt was head and shoulders above others for learning AI comprehensively.
Studying AI at Oxford
The Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme is a three month academic and applied course covering all aspects of AI historically, conceptually, technically and ethically. The pace was fast and content rigorous. It was also fun, which is important in learning, and so I remained engaged after many hours study each week squeezed into lunch breaks, evenings and weekends.
The course was a true multimedia experience and thoroughly assessed with discussions, tests and assignments on a weekly basis. The most impactful aspect of the course for me was ‘peering into the black box’ and studying animated visualisations of how neural networks work. It helped me conceptualise how AI models operate and arrive at their outputs and conclusions.
I loved the live lectures and tutorials, interacting with a very engaged and accomplished cohort, who gelled during breakout sessions. They represented many different professions globally. The tutors were outstanding. Professor Matthias Holweg and Peter Morgan clearly articulated complex concepts and challenged our critical thinking. Highlights were the live coding sessions.
Continuing onto AI Ethics
Buzzing from the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme, I felt the course wasn’t enough to really get to grips with the implications of AI. So, without giving myself much of a break, I enrolled on to the inaugural Oxford AI Ethics, Regulation and Compliance Programme a few weeks later focusing on ethical principles, global regulation and organisational compliance.
The programme had some similarities to the former. The same faculty and a diverse range of lecturers and guest speakers from industry helping make sense of the AI landscape. My experience of learning from Saïd Business School’s faculty was excellent. They helped me to comprehend ethics and regulation and how to apply it and comply with it in organisations.
Key topics were really brought to life in lively lectures and tutorials where my cohort brought their individual challenges with AI to the table. This cohort was more senior still than the previous course, comprising lawyers, judges and regulators. It hammered home how cutting edge this topic and course is and how we are striving to balance innovation with regulation.
Cohort camaraderie, Elumni and life after Oxford
Both AI programmes at Oxford involved lectures, tutorials, breakout sessions and topical discussions which led to a lot of animated conversation where we shared our experiences of building AI products and implementing AI in our organisations. So, of course, this led to several meet ups in Waterloo and Soho in London and I’m now a member of a mere six different WhatsApp groups.
The post-programme community is having a big impact on my professional development. It has given me access to a wide network of cross-industry professionals who have helped me to understand how to approach AI implementations, challenges and implications in my work. The wider Oxford Elumni network with its events and reach extends these benefits.
Since completing the two AI programmes I am now investing in upskilling myself in more technical aspects of AI, such as how to use predictive analytics, conduct prompt engineering, and build Large Language Models (LLMs). To anyone considering these programmes, I would say that the hard work you put in and the knowledge and network you gain will open doors you never thought possible.
Find out more about the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme
Find out more about the Oxford AI Ethics, Regulation and Compliance Programme
