I had the pleasure of speaking about Finding Future AI Leaders at the AE Global Summit on 23rd October in London. Kudos to Ruairidh Battleday for organising such an impressive event with speakers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Spotify, and of course, Zeki.
In preparing for the talk, I examined data on top AI talent in the UK who have advanced degrees and have been actively contributing to research over the past decade. These individuals are the ones pushing the boundaries of this transformative field.
I identified 3,805 individuals (80 per cent men) trained at 70 UK universities. Of these, 344 pursued academic leadership, reaching the level of Assistant Professor—again, 80 per cent men. Women took 48 months, and men 43 months to attain this level.
Our data reveals a strong research focus, lengthy tenures and minimal deviation from the academic path—only 12 had experience in US Big Tech companies. Yet, these individuals are motivated by curiosity and discovery.
I also found 304 individuals who reached senior corporate roles, with women representing just 16 percent. The positive news is that women achieved these roles nearly a year earlier than men, though it typically takes 6-7 years to reach such positions.
What about those with advanced AI skills who ventured into entrepreneurship?
I identified 70 individuals. This challenges the stereotype that entrepreneurship is a young man’s game, as women took over 8 years and men over 9 years to launch their own ventures, longer than those in academic or corporate leadership roles.
These 70 individuals had distinct characteristics. About 30 per cent spent time in US Big Tech companies, moved jobs frequently, experimented with various roles and were willing to relocate for opportunities. They were grounded in fundamental research but displayed an early drive to think broadly and innovate—a different type of curiosity altogether.
Authored by Tom Hurd, Zeki CEO and Co-Founder