James Whittington.

James Whittington

Principal investigator
Oxford University

James Whittington is a principal investigator at Oxford University, where he leads a group researching fundamentals in artificial intelligence and neuroscience. He holds degrees in physics, medicine and neuroscience—all from Oxford. He has worked at AI startups as well as big tech, and he now consults for various AI tech companies. Whittington is a co-founder of the nonprofit organization Thinking About Thinking, organizing its scientific agenda as well as the programs for several summits and conferences each year.

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