Space is getting incredibly crowded. With over 40,000 tracked objects zipping around at ten times the speed of a bullet, managing our orbits has shifted from a traffic problem to a critical national security mission. In this episode, we discover Project Aemelia, a pioneering initiative funded by the UK Space Agency. We see how a collaboration between the Alan Turing Institute and the University of Birmingham is rewriting the rules of Space Domain Awareness (SDA). Join host Amelia Jabry, Dr Victoria Nockles, Principal Investigator - Defence AI Research (DARe), and Professor Marina Gashinova, University of Birmingham, to explore: The Space-to-Space Challenge: Why observing fast-moving satellites from other satellites is an engineering hurdle of cosmic proportions. SAR vs. ISAR: How Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) is being used to map the 3D structures of uncooperative satellites, rockets, and orbital debris in real time. Autonomous Missions: How researchers on project Aemelia are going one step further and not just looking at new imaging systems, but designing fully-autonomous space missions. Whether it's defending vital communications satellites or dodging space debris, find out how autonomous digital twins are safeguarding our future above the clouds. Read more about Project Aemelia here: https://www.turing.ac.uk/news/new-ai-powered-tool-identify-threats-space-and-improve-national-security https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.06176 https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/eese/gashinova-marina   Chapter markers 0:00 Intro – the tricky problem of tracking satellites in space 1:44 What is space domain awareness? 3:20 How much space is there in space, or, where are the satellites? 4:30 How do you traditionally monitor satellites in space? 5:50 Introducing Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging (SAR) and how it works 7:20 The ‘space-to-space’ challenge 8:00 Now invert it: Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar imaging (I-SAR) 9:00 The challenge of using I-SAR in a space-to-space setting 10:40 dealing with extreme speeds in real-time 13:00 Introducing Project Aemelia 14:18 The multidimensional aspect of I-SAR: multistatic setups, varied polarisation, and high frequencies 17:40 Setting up an autonomous space mission as we move further and further from Earth 19:45 Applications of this new technology 22:30 The case of the inspector satellite: how to deal with threats in space 24:00 The second space race – an explosion of capability (cubesats and beyond) 26:20 Stop interfering! The electromagnetic interference problem 28:00 The journey behind AEMELIA – a successful marriage 31:00  What is next on the horizon for I-SAR and SDA? 32:30 A sci-fi anecdote 34:20 Where to find out more

In an era of increasingly unpredictable extreme weather, getting the forecast right is no longer just about what you need to wear during your morning commute. It’s about national resilience, food security, and technological sovereignty. In this episode, host Amelia Jabry is joined by Dr Scott Hosking (Mission Director for Environmental Forecasting at the Alan Turing Institute) and Professor Kirstine Dale (Chief AI Officer at the Met Office) to introduce FastNet: a groundbreaking, home-grown AI weather model developed right here in the UK. Together, they demystify how FastNet uses 3D geometry (specifically, an icosahedral mesh) to map our round planet, how it spots patterns across 40 years of climate data. They also explore why we still desperately need physics to prepare for unprecedented ‘Grey Swan’ climate events like a looming Super El Niño. They tackle the vital questions of making our AI sustainable, the critical importance of a diverse AI workforce, and why the UK must maintain its own independent weather modelling capabilities rather than relying on global tech giants. Read more about FastNet here: https://www.turing.ac.uk/research/research-projects/fastnet   Chapter markers 0:00 Intro 1:04 Introducing Scott Hosking and Kirsten Dale 1:50 The Raucous Revolution in weather forecasting of 2022 04:17 how AI weather prediction models work and how they differ from traditional weather prediction models 05:15 Why traditional physics based models still remain important in forecasting 07:00 The training data AI models rely on 7:50 The uses of AI weather models and the advantages of being computationally light 09:16 Turing’s partnership with the MET Office – why is the weather important? 11:50 Introducing Fastnet: How cutting-edge weather models can tackle climate insecurities 12:30 How AI weather models differ from LLMs 13:15 How Fastnet uses an  icosahedral mesh to map the Earth. 16:05 Grey Swan events and Super El Niño 19:40Comparators to Fastnet and introducing a regional model for the uk 20:30 Improving the accuracy of fastnet 24:55 Green AI 26:30 The importance of diversity in AI modelling 28:30 Why it is important for the UK to have its own weather model 30:30 The future of Fastnet 32:13 Outro and find out more

Join Amelia, Andy and Ben as they discuss the challenges and opportunities of building an AI system to assist ATCOs in one of the most safety-critical industries in the world.

How can the study of ant colonies and evolutionary theory help us ensure the resilience and sustainability of global shipping? In this episode, host Amelia Jabry is joined by Professor Adam Sobey (Mission Director for Sustainability at the Alan Turing Institute) and Senior Applied Scientist Dr. Przemyslaw (Slaw) Grudniewski from Theyr. Together, they explore the ‘evolution’ of shipping route optimisation - from early concepts proposed by Alan Turing to cutting-edge Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms. Discover how these ‘survival of the fittest’ models are being used to navigate the complex world of charter party agreements, fuel efficiency, and autonomous vessels. They also dive into the environmental impact of rerouting, discussing how a 1% change in fuel consumption can protect vital megafauna like whales, and what the melting Arctic means for the future of global trade.   Chapter Markers 0:30 | Co-Host Introduction: Professor Adam Sobey Introduction of Adam Sobey, Mission Director for Sustainability at the Alan Turing Institute and Professor at the University of Southampton. 1:20 | Guest Introduction: Dr. Przemyslaw (Slaw) Grudniewski Introduction of Slava, Senior Applied Scientist atTheyr The history of Adam and Slava’s collaboration, starting from Slava's PhD in 2015. 4:30 | The Path to Genetic Algorithms Why the team focused on genetic algorithms, including the influence of a talk at the University of Bristol on co-evolution mechanisms. 5:00 | Why Shipping Matters: The Ever Given Incident The significance of global trade by sea (80-90%) and the 2021 Suez Canal blockage by theEver Given. 6:20 | The Sustainability Imperative Shipping currently accounts for 2-3% of world emissions, emphasizing the massive need for reduced costs and improved sustainability. 7:15 | Defining Genetic Algorithms Explaining unsupervised learning algorithms based on "survival of the fittest" and evolutionary mechanics. 8:40 | Applying Evolutionary Principles to Route Optimisation How routes are treated as individuals that create "offspring" through crossover and mutation. 10:20 | Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithms "There is no one best route"—balancing conflicting goals like voyage time vs. fuel consumption. Explaining why multi-objective approaches provide a set of optimal solutions rather than a single answer. 11:00 | Charter Party Agreements & Alternative Fuels The complexity of "rental agreements" (charter parties) and the shift toward net-zero fuels like ammonia, hydrogen, and nuclear. 12:20 | The Rise of Fully Autonomous Vessels Navigating the challenges of crewless ships and how they allow for real-time route adjustments. 13:30 | Sustainability Benefits of Autonomy Removing crew-related weight can lead to estimated fuel reductions of around 20%. 14:40 | Safety and Regulation The role of the Alan Turing Institute and Lloyd’s Register in developing standards and validation for autonomous systems. 16:15 | Risks: Cyber Threats and Bad Actors Addressing piracy, cybersecurity risks, and the safety of alternative fuel sources. 18:00 | Why Genetic Algorithms Win Comparing genetic algorithms against local search methods like A* and Dijkstra for complex, real-world problems. 19:00 | Top Performance: cMLSGA ThecMLSGA (Convolutional Multi-Level Selection Genetic Algorithm) and its 7-8% improvement over other models. This represents a saving of 50 to 380 tonnes of fuel per day for large vessels. 20:20 | History: From Alan Turing to Today How the field traces back to Turing’s 1948 ideas of "child-like" intelligence that learns and evolves. 22:20 | Ants, Tribes, and Co-Evolution Using the study of ant colonies and human tribal behaviour to understand collective fitness and reproduction. 23:50 | Scaling Solutions through Collectives Applying the concept of "collectives" to solve large-scale optimisation problems through collaboration. 25:25 | Multi-Level Selection How "groups of individuals" (collectives

The Arctic is undergoing rapid changes due to climate change, making sea ice forecasting increasingly important. In this episode of the Turing Podcast, hosts Amelia Jabry and Dr. Sophie Arana discuss the critical role of AI models like IceNet in predicting sea ice conditions and aiding conservation efforts. Featuring Dr. Ellie Bowler from the British Antarctic Survey, the conversation dives into the technical details of IceNet, its applications for wildlife conservation, and the challenges of predicting sea ice dynamics. The discussion also covers the importance of these predictions for indigenous communities and wildlife that rely on the frozen Arctic landscape. Learn how AI is revolutionising our approach to these urgent environmental challenges. Read more about our environmental forecasting work here: https://www.turing.ac.uk/blog/democratising-environmental-forecasting-age-ai  Explore IceNet: https://icenet.ai/ Find out more about Dr Ellie Bowler's publications: https://www.bas.ac.uk/profile/eller/ Read more about Dr Sophie Arana here: https://www.turing.ac.uk/people/dr-sophie-arana    Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Arctic Climate Change 00:39 Meet the your host Amelia and co-host Dr Sophie Arana  00:57 Understanding the Role of a Research Application Manager 01:47 Introduction to ICE Net 02:47 AI vs. Traditional Physics-based Forecasting Models 03:40 Human Expertise and AI Collaboration 04:56 Introducing Dr. Ellie Bowler and her sea ice and caribou migration forecasting research 06:21 Challenges in Sea Ice Forecasting 10:01 Caribou Migration and Conservation 12:30 Impact of Human Activities on Arctic Wildlife 16:38 Innovative Conservation Methods 23:25 Future of ICE Net and AI in Conservation 26:54 Conclusion and Further Resources

New podcast - defending our critical national infrastructure.   Podcast host Amelia Jabry is joined by co-host and Turing Principal Research Scientist, Vasilios Mavroudis to explore how AI is reshaping both the defence and attack of vital systems like healthcare, energy and transport. With the help of special guest, Microsoft’s Director of Global AI & Cybersecurity Policy Nicholas Butts, they ask: how vulnerable are our power grids, water systems, and communications networks in the age of advanced AI? And what are organisations like the Alan Turing Institute and Microsoft are doing to protect these essential services? Episode Notes Please find below a list of resources and news articles that were mentioned in the podcast:  Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2024 Glossary - AIRC Staying ahead of threat actors in the age of AI | Microsoft Security Blog https://www.thestack.technology/ai-agent-whisperer-liberates-llm-to-spout-filthy-cardy-b-lyrics/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0el31nqnpvo https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czx1qp64wrno

Ed and David chat with Professor Ibrahim Habli, Research Director at the Centre for Assuring Autonomy in the University of York, and director of the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Safe AI Systems. The conversation covers the topic of defining and contextualising AI safety and risk, given existence of existing safety practices from other industries. Ibrahim has collaborated with The Alan Turing Institute on the "Trustworthy and Ethical Assurance platform", or "TEA" for short, an open-source tool for developing and communicating structured assurance arguments to show how data science and AI tech adheres to ethical principles.

On this episode, Bea and Jessie are joined by Becky Inkster and Mark Sheppard, co-founders of The Laß; a fusion of science, creativity and personal reflection. Collaborating with famous musicians, dancers and members of the public, Becky and Mark use EEG brain activity technology to visualise poignant moments. They hope to offer both internal and external reflection opportunities to nurture personal growth and community bonds. For more information visit - https://www.beckyinkster.com/the-lab   Don't forget to explore our shorter AI news podcast - too long didn't read

To what extent can a computer network be actively managed and defended by intelligent autonomous agents? In this episode, Ed and Anneca talk to Vasilios Mavroudis and Chris Hicks explore this question and more.  Vas and Chris lead the Turing’s AI for Cyber Defence (AICD) research centre which seeks to fundamentally transform the way in which we secure digital systems through the development and application of cutting edge, deep-learning based approaches to intelligent agents.    Find more information about AICD here   Don't forget to explore our shorter AI in the news podcast - too long didn't read

On this episode of The Turing Podcast Bea and Anneca are joined by Lord Chris Holmes, Britain’s most successful Paralympic swimmer and an active member of the House of Lords with a policy focus on digital technology for public good. Connect with Lord Holmes on  Linked In   Explore our regular news AI news podcast, too long didn't read