Top 10: AI Leaders in the UK and Europe

AI Magazine highlights AI leaders across the UK and EU driving, Gen AI, AI ethics, industrial AI, language processing and enterprise transformation

Europe and the UK have emerged as dynamic hubs of AI innovation, carving out a distinct space in a field often dominated by Silicon Valley.

This region brings together a unique blend of deep academic expertise, strong industrial heritage and a commitment to ethical, human-centric AI development.

The work across the UK and EU not only pushes technological boundaries but also addresses critical issues like data sovereignty, privacy and the societal impact of AI.

This week, AI Magazine highlights ten of the most influential people navigating, innovating and leading AI’s evolution across the UK and EU.

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7. Nuria Oliver

Company: ELLIS Alicante Role: Director and Co-founder at ELLIS Alicante Foundation; Chief Data Scientist and Chief Scientific Advisor at Vodafone Location: Alicante, Spain Specialisation: Human-Centric AI, AI for Social Good, Computational Human Behaviour Modelling, AI Ethics, Big Data Analytics

What makes Nuria stand out is how she’s consistently pushed for AI that helps people.

Her career spans an MIT PhD, stints at Microsoft Research, Telefonica and Vodafone, plus advisory roles with the Spanish government and European Commission.

The ELLIS Alicante Foundation, which she co-founded in 2020, focuses specifically on responsible AI for social good.

It’s not just academic posturing – her work covers everything from computational models of human behaviour to using big data for public health insights.

Her ability to move between research labs, corporate boardrooms and government advisory panels demonstrates how European AI development benefits from people who can bridge different worlds and perspectives.