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Bill Simpson-Young

Chief Executive, Gradient Institute, University of Sydney
Bill is co-founder and Chief Executive of Gradient Institute, a non-profit research institute with the purpose of progressing the research, design, development and adoption of ethical AI systems.

Bill has spent his career so far in computer technology research and development working in teams of researchers, software engineers and product designers to develop novel techniques, technologies and products and get these into widespread use.

He started as a software engineer and research assistant in machine learning (ML), working on the c4.5 library, one of the world’s first ML technologies used commercially. He has led R&D for global technology companies (Canon and Unisys) and government-funded research institutions (CSIRO and NICTA) and been on the executive teams of three leading Australian science and technology organisations (CiSRA, NICTA and CSIRO’s Data61).

Until 2018, he was Director of Engineering and Design at Data61 where he led a team of 100 data scientists, engineers, user experience designers and product managers, developing new techniques, technologies and products. This included work in areas incuding ML (including ethically-aware ML), data privacy, computational law, geospatial systems and more.

He designed and taught a Masters course in IT Innovation at University of Sydney for seven years to 2016 covering topics such as technology life cycles, disruptive innovation, open innovation, open source strategies, organisational culture for innovation and innovation ecosystems. He has sat on several government data-related committees influencing approaches to data sharing, data privacy, data analytics and open data as well as advisory groups at two Australian universities. He has degrees in computer science, history of art and cognitive science.

Artificial intelligence can deepen social inequality. Here are 5 ways to help prevent this

Jan 14, 2021 06:30 am UTC| Technology

From Google searches and dating sites to detecting credit card fraud, artificial intelligence (AI) keeps finding new ways to creep into our lives. But can we trust the algorithms that drive it? As humans, we make...

Economy

U.S.-Iran Ceasefire: Fragile Truce Raises Hopes for Strait of Hormuz Peace Deal

A temporary ceasefire between the United States, Iran, and Israel is holding but just barely. U.S. Vice President JD Vance described the two-week truce as fragile on Wednesday, warning that Iran appeared to be...

Gold Surges Near 3-Week High as Trump-Iran Ceasefire Eases Geopolitical Tensions

Gold prices climbed sharply on Wednesday, nearing a three-week high after President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire with Iran, easing geopolitical tensions that had been gripping global markets. Spot gold...

Oil Prices Crash Nearly 15% After Trump-Iran Ceasefire Deal

Global oil markets experienced a dramatic selloff on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran, easing fears of a major disruption to Middle East energy supplies. Brent...

U.S. Stock Futures Surge as Trump Announces Iran Ceasefire, Oil Prices Plunge

U.S. stock index futures posted sharp gains Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire agreement with Iran, lifting market sentiment and triggering a dramatic drop in oil prices. The development...

U.S.-China Trade Talks: Trump and Xi Set for Summit Amid Rare Earths Focus

The United States and China are maintaining a stable trade relationship, and President Donald Trump intends to preserve that balance in an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to U.S. Trade...

Politics

Trump Meets NATO Chief Rutte Amid Alliance Tensions Over Iran War

President Donald Trump welcomed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to the White House on Wednesday for high-stakes talks as the ongoing conflict with Iran continues to strain transatlantic relations. The meeting comes at a...

UK PM Keir Starmer Heads to Middle East Amid Ceasefire Agreement

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is traveling to the Middle East for high-level diplomatic meetings with regional allies, following a landmark ceasefire agreement reached overnight. The visit marks a significant moment...

Trump Credits China for Brokering Iran-Israel-U.S. Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that he believes China played a pivotal role in persuading Iran to agree to a ceasefire in its ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States. The statement, made to AFP,...

Xi Jinping Pushes Demand-Driven Strategy to Modernize China's Service Sector

Chinas President Xi Jinping has outlined a bold strategy to transform the countrys service industry, calling for a demand-led approach supported by structural reform and technological innovation. The directive was reported...

Trump Announces U.S. Military Presence in Strait of Hormuz Following Iran Ceasefire Deal

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will actively support the flow of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the worlds most strategically critical waterways. Speaking publicly,...

Science

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

Technology

U.S. Disrupts Russian Military Hackers' Global DNS Hijacking Network

The U.S. Justice Department has successfully executed a court-authorized operation to dismantle a DNS hijacking network tied to Russian military intelligence. The network was run by GRU Military Unit 26165, a cyber unit...

Samsung Electronics Posts Eightfold Profit Surge Driven by AI Chip Demand

Samsung Electronics delivered a stunning financial turnaround in the first quarter of 2025, projecting operating profit of approximately 57.2 trillion won (roughly $38 billion) a more than eightfold increase compared to...

China's Push to Steal Taiwan's Chip Technology and Talent Raises Security Alarms

Taiwans National Security Bureau has raised serious concerns about Beijings escalating efforts to infiltrate the islands world-class semiconductor industry. According to a report submitted to Taiwanese lawmakers, China is...

Apple's Foldable iPhone Faces Engineering Setbacks, Mass Production Timeline at Risk

Apples highly anticipated foldable iPhone is running into significant engineering hurdles during its test phase, raising concerns about potential delays in both mass production and product shipments, according to a report...

Britain Courts Anthropic Amid US Defense Department Dispute

The United Kingdom is actively working to attract Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI app, to expand its footprint in the country. This diplomatic push comes as Anthropic finds itself in the middle of a...