The Changing Face of Computing in the UK

Dame Wendy Hall and the School of Electronics and Computer Science have hosted the second Computer Science Regius Chair Lecture, delivered by Professor Tom Rodden.

Professor Rodden, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham, delivered an insightful lecture to colleagues from across the university on the growth and maturity of computing over the last 30 years.

Offering his specialist experience spanning 23 years in academia and government, his presentation explored the history of computing and its impact on the UK since the 1970s – including the role of digital regulation in today’s economy, and the public sentiment about artificial intelligence, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to innovate responsibly alongside the changing needs of society.

Dame Wendy was appointed to the Chair of Regius Professor in Computer Science in 2017.  The prestigious Regius Professorship was awarded to the University of Southampton in 2013 by HM The Queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee – the first and only Regius Professorship in Computer Science to be granted.

In a Q&A session after the lecture, Tom answered questions from researchers and lecturers about the digital divide, the private ownership of information and the intradisciplinary nature of computer science.

Professor Les Carr, Deputy Director of the Web Science Institute, gave his thoughts: “Professor Tom Rodden’s talk gave a career-length overview from the earliest home computers to the latest advances in AI, but more significantly, the way that the computing discipline has adapted to encompass the human as well as the technological.

“My most exciting take-home from Tom’s presentation was the provocation to consider how academic computer scientists can bring a responsible research challenge to the technical, economic and cultural power of the big five Big Five technology companies – Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft.”