Panel Discussion Speaker

Steph has a diverse background ranging from astrophysics to genomics in academia, film & TV, and the third sector. A leader in, and an advocate for, ethical, inclusive and responsible AI, she was instrumental in the development and delivery of Scotland’s national AI strategy. Steph strongly believes in the need for a powerful civic voice in the current AI discourse. 

She has previously been a Trustee for the Children’s Parliament, and she also sits on multiple boards, advisory groups and steering committees including that for the Centre for Technomoral Futures, the University of Aberdeen Interdisciplinary Institute, and the Digital Economy Skills Group. She is also co-chair of the Advisory Group for the Designing Responsible NLP CDT at the University of Edinburgh. She is also on the Board of Directors for We and AI. 

She is passionate advocate for diversity in science and technology and has participated as a mentor in both the STEM Aspire Programme and the Aurora programme. She also co-founded Diverse AI in 2023 but has now stepped back from that to concentrate on Our AI Collective. 

Steph was recognised as one of the 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics and one of the Top 10 Women in Tech in Scotland in 2023 and was named in the 2025 Digital Leaders list of the 100 most influential AI voices in the UK. She was also awarded the 2024 DataIQ Award for Data & AI For Good Champion.