Tony Prescott

Tony Prescott is an internationally recognised authority in both psychology and artificial intelligence (AI). His career which has involved developing animal and human-like robots, controlled by simplified models of the brain, and has always focused on understanding intelligence in both humans and machines.

Tony decided to be a psychologist at age 16 after reading the biography of Carl Jung. After qualifying with a Masters in Psychology, Tony studied for both a Masters and a Doctorate in AI, before working as a full professor in Psychology and then Computer Science. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the highest honour bestowed by that society, and is the author of over 250 research articles and conference papers at the interface between psychology, philosophy, brain theory, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Tony is the author of "The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence" a book written for as general audience about the similarities and differences between natural and artificial intelligence. He has also edited several influential books including "Living Machines: A Handbook of Research in Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems" published by Oxford University Press (translated into Chinese), and The Scholarpedia of Touch, published by Springer. He also co-founded the international Living Machines conference series.

Tony’s work in science communication includes articles for New Scientist, Newsweek, The Independent and the Conversation. He has also given many invited talks including to science festivals (NewScientist Live, Edinburgh Science Festival), and organised a touring robotics exhibition. His research is regularly featured in online and print media and has been covered by the BBC One Show, BBC Breakfast, Radio 4 Today, World at One and Material World. International coverage has included the Discovery Channel and CNN. He also regularly speaks and writes about the societal and cultural impacts of future AI, robotic, virtual reality and telepresence technologies.

Away from the worlds of psychology and AI, he plays guitar, sings and enjoys visiting folk clubs and festivals.