Professor of Digital Economy, University of Exeter
Research Director, Digital Policy Alliance · AI Director, Digital Leaders
Alan W.
Brown
A research-based practitioner in AI transformation.
Thirty years building enterprise software, fifteen researching how organisations change, and board-level advice that turns AI questions into decisions people can stand behind.
Making AI Work for Britain
From strategies to practice
Britain has the talent, the research base and the institutions to lead in AI, yet its ambitions keep stalling after a promising start. This book diagnoses why, and sets out five reforms that could change that.
Digital Economy Dispatch · every Sunday
Latest writing
- #304Overwhelmed By AI? Me Too!
- #303What Am I Worth?
- #302What the AI Evidence Can and Cannot Tell You
- #301Is Your AI Deployment Running on Faith?
- #300Who Decides the Future of AI?
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Three perspectives, one advantage
Practitioner
Two decades in enterprise software at Carnegie Mellon’s SEI, Texas Instruments, Sterling Software, Computer Associates and IBM Rational — as VP of R&D, Distinguished Engineer and European CTO.
Researcher
Founded the Surrey Centre for the Digital Economy and Exeter’s INDEX, directed the £12.4M EPSRC DIGIT Lab, and is deputy director of the Defence Data Research Centre.
Advisor
Board-level strategy across pharma, energy, defence, government and other regulated industries.
The overlap
Decision-ready insight for leaders working under real constraints.
Newcastle → York → Carnegie Mellon SEI → Texas Instruments → Sterling / CA → Catapulse → IBM Rational → Surrey → Exeter
Full CV →Projects
Where the work lives
- FutureOfAI.uk Independent research, tools and trackers on AI in the UK, including UK AI Watch.Research
- aifluency.uk The AI Decision Fluency Handbook, field guide and decision simulations.Free · CC BY-NC-SA
- ai-at-scale.org The AI-at-Scale Playbook: a practical guide to delivering AI at scale.Free · in progress
- Innovider My advisory practice, working with C-level leaders since 2012.Advisory
Work with me
Let’s talk
Advisory, speaking, transformation programmes and research collaboration — usually in four areas:
- 01AI strategy & economicsRealistic AI economics over hype; resilience over one more pilot.
- 02Organisational transformationMental models, operating models and organisational design.
- 03Institutional resilienceChanging people, structures and incentives in universities, defence, government and incumbents.
- 04Governance & policyAI adoption and regulation, from UK government to the boardroom.