Demystifying AI, one conversation at a time

Posted on by Careers Service

We’re Kieren and Riku, two final-year PhD researchers working in the fast‑moving area of artificial intelligence.

Kieren develops AI tools for synthetic biology and bioengineering, while Riku studies how to make AI predictions easier to explain.

We met during our undergraduate degrees in Applied Mathematics and, as part of a research project, built a healthcare chatbot together (long before ChatGPT was a household name) to help people make sense of their symptoms. That first project really showed us how AI can be developed to help people in practical and positive ways.

Kieren and Riku sat in their podcasting studio, recording an Artificially Ever After episode.

In 2023 we launched Artificially Ever After (AEA), a podcast and digital education brand with a simple goal: to help people from all backgrounds understand how AI works and how it is shaping society, for better and for worse, while empowering them to take part in shaping its future.

We use clear, accessible and entertaining language backed by the latest news and research. Since launching, we’ve released 35 episodes and reached more than 150,000 people in over 30 countries. In addition to the podcast, we run in‑person events, interactive sessions and talks. We currently have a semi‑permanent exhibit at We The Curious, a science venue in Bristol, and we produced a sponsored AI and Biology mini‑series with AIBIO‑UK. We’ve also been very lucky to have had some special guests join us on the show, including the former NHS AI Clinical Lead, Dr Hatim Abdulhussein, and Professor Ewan Birney, a Non‑Executive Director at Genomics England and a key figure in the Human Genome Project. Some of our most popular episodes include ‘How Does ChatGPT Work?’, ‘An AI a Day Keeps the Doctor Away’ and ‘Is AI Art Real Art?’.

Building the brand over the past couple of years has taught us a few things. Podcasts are more popular than ever, which helps people find us, but the space is also crowded, and attention is limited. Many listeners first come across the brand through short clips on social media, rather than full episodes. So now we use each episode in two ways: the full conversation, available on your favourite podcast platform, and a set of short snippets, carrying a clear idea, fact or notable episode moment, which we then broadcast across our social channels. This approach has widened our reach without losing the depth we need to explain AI’s nuances.

Kieren and Riku presenting at a Jean Golding Institute talk, here at the University of Bristol.
Two children interacting with Artificially Ever After's 'We The Curious' event space.

We applied to the New Enterprise Programmes to learn how to grow AEA into a self-sustaining business so that we can broaden our reach. We went on to win the Engineers in Business Award (£3,000), which has made a real difference over the past several months. We used it to hire a freelance social media editor to create short‑form content tailored to each platform. That freed up some time in our busy schedules to focus on the research for each episode, as well as recording and editing them. It has also allowed us to buy new camera and microphone equipment, supporting our move to a high-quality video podcast, which will hopefully strengthen our credibility and bring in more listeners.

Our tips for other students looking to explore an idea are simple:

  • Pick a problem you genuinely care about and know well. People can easily tell when you understand and relate to their problems.
  • Try to release something useful each week. To cut through today’s digital noise, you need a good idea and consistent output to distinguish yourself and stay relevant.
  • Seek feedback from people outside your field. Our day-to-day involvement in AI research means we are constantly seeking feedback to make our content truly accessible and entertaining to a general audience.
  • Spend funding on time‑savers and quality. Balancing a venture with studies is hard! Bring in skilled people or use handy tools that solve problems – it’s much quicker than you teaching yourself everything from scratch. For us, that meant video editing support and experienced marketing advice.

If you want to build something of your own, we hope this helps. And if you have a business idea at the right stage for New Enterprise: GROWTH, definitely consider applying, and you could win the Engineers in Business Award too. We’re so glad we did!

Got a start-up you would like support with? Take part in the New Enterprise Programmes!