Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science focused on creating machines that can perform tasks with a simulated human intelligence. AI builds computers which can learn, reason, problem-solve and understand natural language. It is a relatively new and rapidly advancing field with a huge range of practical applications from speech recognition and image processing to autonomous vehicles and virtual assistants.
Currently there are 15 artificial intelligence PhD programmes offered at UK universities and entry requirements typically include a strong background in computer science, software engineering or a related field, along with a well-constructed research proposal, which should address an important or underdeveloped aspect of AI and will form the basis for your PhD studies.
The PhD course itself will have a duration of around three to six years and will primarily be centered around your research proposal which you’ll develop under the supervision of an academic tutor.
What to Expect
For a PhD, you can expect to be doing a lot of self-driven study. You may be part of a research team or a member of a laboratory or engineering workshop, but a significant amount of your time will still be spent researching material for your thesis and developing your project. AI is a highly versatile field and you might find yourself working in machine learning, robotics, natural language processing, computational intelligence, or even the ethics behind striving to create intelligent machines and what effects this might have on human society.
You’ll present your research periodically; however, the main assessment is your PhD dissertation, which after submitting, you will be required to defend orally in front of a panel of academics. Once this is complete, you’ll be qualified as a Doctor of Philosophy in artificial intelligence and will be ready for roles in AI research, data science, industry or academia.