Ocean Village in Southampton welcomes new AI consultancy

By Nicky Godding

18 July 2023

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ARRIVAL: AiLab’s Dr John Flackett with co-founder Emma Berry. The global consultancy, headquartered in Adelaide, southern Australia, has chosen Ocean Village Innovation Centre, Southampton, to put down roots as the company looks to grow the UK market.

A global consultancy which aims to demystifies artificial intelligence for big-brand names through workshops has established a UK presence in Southampton.

AiLab (Artificial Intelligence Laboratory), co-founded in Australia by AI specialists Dr John Flackett and Emma Berry, has taken office space in Southampton’s Ocean Village Innovation Centre (OVIC), the serviced offices provider for innovation businesses.

John, who has a PhD in AI and previously taught AI at Solent University, set up the company with Emma after emigrating – they support businesses and government tapping into opportunities around AI.

He said: “With our new UK office at OVIC, we are able to further expand AI education and workshops - in-person and online - to decision makers at big brands and corporates who want to understand how AI can be harnessed ethically to solve business problems and create new efficiencies.

“This is our third country with an AiLab flag in the ground, with one at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, along with Adelaide in southern Australia, and here on the south coast of England.”

Stephen Deller, OVIC’s Centre Manager, said: “Business perception of AI has never been higher following the introduction of ChatGPT last year, which is taking the world by storm but leaving many corporates wondering how their large operations can best benefit from this disruptor tech.

“AiLab will be assisting corporate decision-makers in navigating the AI landscape. John and Emma have a successful track record in making things happen – they founded and sponsored the first Adelaide Artificial Intelligence meet-up that launched in 2018 and has grown into the largest AI community in South Australia.”

He added: “It has been a pleasure to support AiLab with introductions to the University of Surrey and with strategic advice through our business growth manager, Sarah Hall. We look forward to John and Emma utilising our meeting rooms as workshop venues as the firm continues to grow.”

AiLab has a background in AI academia, research and developing internal AI solutions, including specialising in fundamental algorithm research to create more advanced learning machines.

To date, thousands of people have been helped within industry, government, community and academia across the globe in their AI journeys via education programmes, research, policy, strategy and events.

The firm provides workshops which help attendees develop an understanding of current AI capabilities and assist with learning, using and transitioning into the AI space, policy and strategy development and pre-vendor planning.

John said: “We looked around for a place in the UK and, from day one, OVIC seemed like a perfect fit – it is welcoming, with fantastic support and in a superb location.

“We were also looking for other innovative, entrepreneurial companies which align with the things we do; OVIC fitted the bill.”

With 30,000 sq ft of serviced offices and meeting rooms, OVIC is run by Oxford Innovation Space on behalf of the building’s private owner.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.