Michael Woolridge

Michael Wooldridge is the Ashall Professor of the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford and one of the world’s foremost authorities on AI. He has researched the field for more than 35 years, publishing over 500 scientific articles and ten books, translated into nine languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, is President-Elect of the Association for the Advancement of AI (AAAI), and is co-editor-in-chief of the journal Artificial Intelligence.

In 2023, he delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on AI, in the 198th year of the series. His lectures were broadcast by BBC TV to more than a million viewers, and in 2025, he was awarded the Royal Society’s Faraday Prize for science communication. He has advised the UK Government, the House of Lords, and the G7 on AI policy. His popular science books include "The Ladybird Book of AI," "The Road to Conscious Machines," and "Life Lessons from Game Theory," and he is a regular speaker at festivals such as Hay, Cheltenham, Stratford, and Oxford.

Wooldridge is widely recognized for his ability to explain complex ideas about AI with clarity, wit, and authority. Combining deep technical expertise with an engaging and accessible style, he speaks regularly to audiences ranging from global business leaders and policymakers to school students and the general public. His talks explore not only how AI works, but also what it means for society, the economy, creativity, and the future of work.