Drew Hemment^UK

Drew Hemment is a Professor of Data Arts and Society and Director of Festival Futures at Edinburgh Futures Institute and Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh. He is the Theme Lead for Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at The Alan Turing Institute, a Turing Fellow, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He leads The New Real and Experiential AI in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute and Edinburgh's Festivals.
Over 30 years, Hemment has been one of the key figures who has shaped the field of digital art and culture in Europe. He has worked with cities and nations representing culture and research at the highest level and worked for the Singapore Government on Smart Nation and Singapore’s 50th anniversary. He has a repeat track record of internationally leading and shaping research domains, including Open Data, Human-Centred Smart Cities, and AI Arts. In 1995, Hemment founded FutureEverything, named by The Guardian one of the top 10 ideas festivals in the world. In 2016, he founded the GROW Observatory, the world’s first continental-scale citizens’ observatory. He is presently working to develop a transformative research agenda and build a national capability on AI and the Arts in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute and Edinburgh's Festivals.