Shaping our future
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER AND AI
In a fast-moving, complex, and still-being-understood sector, we wanted to share a little peek behind the code of what we’ve been working on here at the University to achieve our aim of being a globally renowned thought leader in AI and data science.
At Exeter, our academics facilitate interactions between data science researchers and problem owners to develop innovative approaches to the use of data in modern society, considering the social implications as well as technical aspects. To achieve this, academics work closely with other researchers, industry, government, and key partners like the Alan Turing Institute.
In 2023, we announced a £50 million investment in the development of our data science and AI capabilities: Project ADA (Accelerating Data Science and Artificial Intelligence). One part of this is our Centre for Environmental Intelligence, where we work across disciplines and sectors, from tech to conservation, in the UK and beyond to tackle urgent environmental and sustainability challenges through the application of data science and AI. Environmental intelligence has the potential to make a vital contribution to tackling many problems including climate resilience, food systems-security, and public health.
This shared learning approach is key to many of Exeter’s interactions with AI, and in July 2025 we also held a flagship event to help Devon businesses harness the potential of AI: the ‘Devon AI Summit’. The event was opened by Exeter Professor of Digital Economy, Mark Thompson, and in November 2025 we held a ‘Cornwall AI Summit’ at the Eden Project, which featured practical sessions offering step-by-step guidance on applying AI in business.
Building on this, in August 2025 we joined a pioneering initiative to realise the potential of AI for the public good and Exeter was the first official member of the Responsible AI Consortium. Launched by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) in collaboration with École des Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord (EDHEC) Business School, Imperial College Business School and Luiss Business School, the Consortium offers universities and business schools worldwide a forum for integrating and advancing AI in higher education. Through collaborative research, project-based learning, and innovative AI pilot programs, it also will advance the responsible use of AI and prepare graduates for the modern world of work.
Last summer, we were also delighted to welcome Dr Andrew Ng (Hon DSc, 2025) to our Streatham Campus to receive an honorary degree from the University of Exeter. This reflected our recognition of how Andrew, as Founder of DeepLearning.AI (and involvement in many other avenues beside), has been making strides in this field.
More than eight million people have taken an AI class from Andrew. He was the founding lead of the Google Brain team, which helped Google transform into a modern AI company. In 2023, he was named in the ‘TIME100 Most Influential People in AI’ list.
Speaking about his experience visiting Exeter for the honorary degree, Andrew shared,
“Just as every company is becoming an AI company, every university must become an AI university – not just teaching AI, but using it to advance every field of study... Like almost all other universities and businesses worldwide, Exeter’s AI transformation is just beginning. But the enthusiastic embrace of AI by its leadership will give it momentum.”
At Exeter this momentum has certainly been building as the University is keen for AI to be a transformative force and to empower our community to explore AI with confidence. As such, in autumn 2025 we launched our ‘Enabling AI at Exeter’ initiative that gave staff and students access to a suite of information and resources, including our Enabling AI Strategy.
We will continue to share the latest developments in this emerging field – both in how it influences our curriculum here at Exeter, our research, and the careers of our alumni community – with you all. Because, as Andrew said to the Class of 2025 when he received his honorary degree, “The world is changing very quickly, and many of the tools you’ll be using five years from now may not even exist today. So, what will matter is your ability to keep learning and keep adapting.”
Introducing the Kathleen Booth Building
Following recent investment and growth in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University, refurbishment works at Innovation Centre One on our Streatham Campus were completed in Autumn 2025.
To reflect our commitment to recognising pioneering figures in computing, the building has been renamed the Kathleen Booth Building, after the trailblazing British computer scientist and one of the earliest pioneers of modern computing.
