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Oxford Literary Festival: Professor Nick Hawes with Jim Mellon in Future Tech Interview: Robots Working with Humans

Location

Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre

Date & Time

Sunday 22 Mar 2026 12:00 - Sunday 22 Mar 2026 13:00

As part of the Oxford Literary Festival, expert in artificial intelligence and robotics Professor Nick Hawes will discuss how robots are giving humans a helping hand and where the future might lie.

Hawes is professor of AI and robotics at Oxford University’s Oxford Robotics Institute. His work includes research on long-term autonomy for robots, software engineering for intelligent systems and use of semantic and spatial knowledge to enable robots to reason about the possibilities for action. What are the technical and commercial possibilities for robots and robotic systems in the coming years?

Hawes talks to Jim Mellon, a leading businessman and investor with a particular interest in the potential of new technologies. This is the second Jim Mellon Future Tech Interview, an annual talk supported by him. The first on nuclear fusion featured innovation and technology leader and former chairman of the Atomic Energy Authority Professor David Gann.