Call for contributions: techUK's AI Innovation Focus Week
techUK's AI Innovation programme is excited to announce that we are now seeking contributions for our AI Innovation Focus Week, taking place from 19th - 23rd October 2026.
Across the week we will explore the AI breakthroughs set to reshape the UK economy and showcase how techUK members and stakeholders are driving the innovation behind them. The week is anchored in our AI Innovation programme and structured around five themes: physical AI, industrial AI, AI for science, agentic AI and the convergence of AI with other frontier technologies.
techUK members and government stakeholders can contribute a short blog or vlog aligned with a daily theme, as per the guidelines below.
All blogs and vlogs must be submitted (to the named individuals below) by Monday 12 October.
Daily themes
Monday | Physical AI
Physical AI brings intelligence into the physical world, powering the robots, autonomous systems and machines that sense, reason and act in real environments. Advances in models, sensors, batteries and compute are making these systems more capable, more general and more useful than ever before. For the UK, physical AI is where the country's strengths in hardware, robotics and engineering can translate into world-leading innovation across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and infrastructure.
Question for contributors: Where is the UK's physical AI innovation strongest, and what is needed on skills, standards and investment to turn research and demonstrators into globally competitive products and systems?
Industrial AI applies AI to the core processes of industry, from design and production to maintenance, quality and supply chains. This is where AI meets the real economy, and where new approaches to how things are made and moved can unlock the most tangible productivity gains. Turning that potential into UK advantage depends on data readiness, integration with existing systems, and continued innovation on the factory floor.
Question for contributors: Where can industrial AI innovation give the UK a competitive edge across manufacturing and industrial sectors, and what role should industry play to support these innovations?
Wednesday | AI for Science
AI is accelerating the pace of scientific discovery, from protein structure prediction and materials design to drug discovery and climate modelling. It is beginning to reshape the research process itself, compressing timelines that once ran into years. With its world-leading research institutions, the UK is well placed to lead, provided compute, data and talent are aligned behind the effort.
Question for contributors: How can the UK harness AI to accelerate scientific discovery, and translate its research strength into commercial and societal impact?
Agentic AI systems can plan, decide and act across a range of tasks with limited human oversight, and coordinate with other agents to reshape entire workflows rather than simply assist with individual ones. This marks a shift from AI as a tool, to AI as an active participant in how organisations operate, and it is one of the fastest-moving frontiers in AI innovation, from agentic commerce, where agents transact and negotiate on a user's behalf, to autonomous systems that manage end-to-end processes (see techUK's recent paper on agentic AI in financial services). The opportunity for UK productivity is significant, and realising it depends on getting oversight, accountability and governance right alongside the technology.
Question for contributors: Where is agentic AI innovation heading, what new capabilities and use cases, from agentic commerce to autonomous operations, will it unlock across UK sectors, and how do we build the oversight, accountability and governance to match?
Transformative innovation often happens where technologies meet. As AI converges with semiconductors, quantum, robotics, and other frontier and advanced technologies, it unlocks capabilities that none of these fields could reach alone, from quantum-enhanced AI to autonomous machines. For the UK, leadership at these intersections could define the next decade of technological advantage.
Question for contributors: Where will the convergence of AI with quantum, robotics and other frontier technologies create the biggest opportunities for the UK, and what should industry and government be doing now to lead at these intersections?
Contribution guidelines
All submissions must be of broad interest to the UK's technology sector, rather than a sales pitch or case study, and be accompanied by an author headshot, a brief biography, and the logo or logos of your organisation.
Blogs must be between 600 and 1000 words. They can include links, images, infographics and videos.
Vlogs must be between 3 and 6 minutes long, submitted with a short title (10 words maximum) and intro text, and take the form of a YouTube link or MP4 file.
Submissions should be sent to [email protected] (for physical AI, industrial AI and agentic AI), [email protected] (for AI for science) and [email protected] and [email protected] (for AI and tech convergence) by Monday 12 October, and will be published on their respective days throughout w/c 19 October.
Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
He leads techUK’s AI Adoption programme, supporting members of all sizes and sectors in adopting AI at scale. His work involves identifying barriers to adoption, exploring solutions, and helping to unlock AI’s transformative potential, particularly its benefits for people, the economy, society, and the planet. He is also committed to advancing the UK’s AI sector and ensuring the UK remains a global leader in AI by working closely with techUK members, the UK Government, regulators, and devolved and local authorities.
Since joining techUK, Usman has delivered a regular drumbeat of activity to engage members and advance techUK's AI programme. This has included two campaign weeks, the creation of the AI Adoption Hub (now the AI Hub), the AI Leader's Event Series, the Putting AI into Action webinar series and the Industrial AI sprint campaign.
Before joining techUK, Usman worked as a policy, regulatory and government/public affairs professional in the advertising sector. He has also worked in sales, marketing, and FinTech.
Usman holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a GDL and LLB from BPP Law School, and a BA from Queen Mary University of London.
When he isn’t working, Usman enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also has a keen interest in running, reading and travelling.
Programme Manager ‑ Quantum and Digital Twins, techUK
Sara Duodu
Programme Manager ‑ Quantum and Digital Twins, techUK
Sara joined techUK in October 2025 as Programme Manager for Quantum and Digital Twins.
Before joining techUK, Sara worked at Capital Enterprise as Research Lead, where she focused on policy research related to the UK’s startup ecosystem. During her time there, she co-authored a flagship report unpacking what quantum startups in the UK need to grow and stay in the UK.
Sara holds a Master of Global Affairs (Innovation Policy & Global Security) from the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, and an MA (History) and a BA (History & Political Science) from the University of Western Ontario.
Outside of work, Sara enjoys reading, playing rugby, and watching any and all sports.
Ella joined techUK in July 2025 as Junior Programme Manager for Emerging Technologies.
In her role, Ella leads the design and delivery of techUK's focus areas, which identify emerging technologies of interest to members and Government. These initiatives seek to showcase industry best practice, champion key UK sectors, and address the challenges and opportunities shaping the development, application, and commercialisation of these technologies. Previous focus areas led by Ella have included photonics, and currently, frontier compute.
Ella also supports the day-to-day running of techUK's Emerging Tech and Innovation Policy activity, working to convene industry experts and policymakers to showcase best practice, shape government thinking, and ensure the UK leads on the development and deployment of transformative technologies.
Before joining techUK, Ella completed an internship at Digital Catapult, supporting across public affairs, policy and the organisation's programmes. She also has experience working in an MP's Parliamentary and Constituency Office.
Ella holds a BSc in Politics and International Relations from the University of Bristol.
Elis joined techUK in December 2023 as a Programme Manager for Tech and Innovation, focusing on Semiconductors and Digital ID.
He previously worked at an advocacy group for tech startups, with a regional focus on Wales. This involved policy research on innovation, skills and access to finance.
Elis has a Degree in History, and a Masters in Politics and International Relations from the University of Winchester, with a focus on the digitalisation and gamification of armed conflicts.
Disclaimer:Priority will be given to techUK member organisations and government stakeholders over non-members. techUK reserves the right to decide whether or not a blog or vlog is published, and contributing factors include the degree of alignment with the contribution guidelines, the total number of submissions received, and the balance between member and non-member contributions.
techUK - Seizing the AI Opportunity
The UK is a global leader in AI innovation, development and adoption.
AI has the potential to boost UK GDP by £550 billion by 2035, making adoption an urgent economic priority. techUK and our members are committed to working with the Government to turn the AI Opportunities Action Plan into reality. Together we can ensure the UK seizes the opportunities presented by AI technology and continues to be a world leader in AI development.
Get involved: techUK runs a busy calendar of activities including events, reports, and insights to demonstrate some of the most significant AI opportunities for the UK. Our AI Hub is where you will find details of all upcoming activity. We also send a monthly AI newsletter which you can subscribe to here.
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Kir Nuthi
Head of AI and Data, techUK
Kir Nuthi
Head of AI and Data, techUK
Kir Nuthi is the Head of AI and Data at techUK.
She holds over seven years of Government Affairs and Tech Policy experience in the US and UK. Kir previously headed up the regulatory portfolio at a UK advocacy group for tech startups and held various public affairs in US tech policy. All involved policy research and campaigns on competition, artificial intelligence, access to data, and pro-innovation regulation.
Kir has an MSc in International Public Policy from University College London and a BA in both Political Science (International Relations) and Economics from the University of California San Diego.
Outside of techUK, you are likely to find her attempting studies at art galleries, attempting an elusive headstand at yoga, mending and binding books, or chasing her dog Maya around South London's many parks.
Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
He leads techUK’s AI Adoption programme, supporting members of all sizes and sectors in adopting AI at scale. His work involves identifying barriers to adoption, exploring solutions, and helping to unlock AI’s transformative potential, particularly its benefits for people, the economy, society, and the planet. He is also committed to advancing the UK’s AI sector and ensuring the UK remains a global leader in AI by working closely with techUK members, the UK Government, regulators, and devolved and local authorities.
Since joining techUK, Usman has delivered a regular drumbeat of activity to engage members and advance techUK's AI programme. This has included two campaign weeks, the creation of the AI Adoption Hub (now the AI Hub), the AI Leader's Event Series, the Putting AI into Action webinar series and the Industrial AI sprint campaign.
Before joining techUK, Usman worked as a policy, regulatory and government/public affairs professional in the advertising sector. He has also worked in sales, marketing, and FinTech.
Usman holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a GDL and LLB from BPP Law School, and a BA from Queen Mary University of London.
When he isn’t working, Usman enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also has a keen interest in running, reading and travelling.
Sue leads techUK's Technology and Innovation work. This includes work programmes on AI, Cloud, Data, Quantum, Semiconductors, Digital ID and Digital ethics as well as emerging and transformative technologies and innovation policy. In 2025, Sue was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Technology Industry in the New Year Honours List. She has also been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame.
A key influencer in driving forward the tech agenda in the UK, in December 2025 Sue was appointed to the UK Government’s Women in Tech Taskforce by the Technology Secretary of State. She also sits on the UK Government’s Smart Data Council, Satellite Applications Catapult Advisory Group, Bank of England’s AI Consortium and BSI’s Digital Strategic Advisory Group. Previously, Sue was a member of the Independent Future of Compute Review and co-chaired the National Data Strategy Forum. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries in 2020, Sue has been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and has been a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI, the UK Tech 50 and annual UK Cloud Awards. She is a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015, Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. Before that, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
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Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
He leads techUK’s AI Adoption programme, supporting members of all sizes and sectors in adopting AI at scale. His work involves identifying barriers to adoption, exploring solutions, and helping to unlock AI’s transformative potential, particularly its benefits for people, the economy, society, and the planet. He is also committed to advancing the UK’s AI sector and ensuring the UK remains a global leader in AI by working closely with techUK members, the UK Government, regulators, and devolved and local authorities.
Since joining techUK, Usman has delivered a regular drumbeat of activity to engage members and advance techUK's AI programme. This has included two campaign weeks, the creation of the AI Adoption Hub (now the AI Hub), the AI Leader's Event Series, the Putting AI into Action webinar series and the Industrial AI sprint campaign.
Before joining techUK, Usman worked as a policy, regulatory and government/public affairs professional in the advertising sector. He has also worked in sales, marketing, and FinTech.
Usman holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a GDL and LLB from BPP Law School, and a BA from Queen Mary University of London.
When he isn’t working, Usman enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also has a keen interest in running, reading and travelling.
