# UK's First Academic AI Leader: AI will always need human creativity in order to exist

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ceo-retort-with-tim-el-sheikh-7053049/uk-s-first-academic-ai-leader-ai-will-always-need-human-creativity-in-order-to-exist
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ceo-retort-with-tim-el-sheikh-7053049/uk-s-first-academic-ai-leader-ai-will-always-need-human-creativity-in-order-to-exist.md
Podcast: [The CEO Retort with Tim El-Sheikh](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ceo-retort-with-tim-el-sheikh-7053049)
Published: 2025-12-15T13:11:37+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ceoretort/episodes/UKs-First-Academic-AI-Leader-AI-will-always-need-human-creativity-in-order-to-exist-e3cboqs
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/f711e3e0/podcast/play/112632092/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-15%2F414393653-44100-2-6a56639fccd1f.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ceo-retort-with-tim-el-sheikh-7053049/episodes/uk-s-first-academic-ai-leader-ai-will-always-need-human-creativity-in-order-to-exist
Duration seconds: 6493

## Resource

A deep dive into the evolving landscape of AI and the current push against genuine innovation, from engineering to the arts. Professor Shushma Patel is the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Artificial Intelligence at De Montfort University (DMU) in the UK. As a prominent figure in computing, engineering, and media education, Shushma is the first person in the UK to hold a senior university leadership position dedicated solely to AI. With nearly 30 years of experience in higher education, working as a lecturer, researcher, and academic leader, Shushma is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion, particularly in promoting women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and leadership. Timestamps: (00:00:00) – Preview (00:04:05) – How Shushma's overseeing a unique faculty mergers of Computing, Engineering and Media with Arts, Design & Humanities (00:14:56) – Tim and Shushma discuss the importance of being outliers and how it impacted their careers in AI (00:32:15) – Tim and Shusham debate whether there is a need for AI degrees and courses (00:38:54) – The biggest problem in the world of AI is a lack of people's understanding and real-world applications beyond the hype (00:44:48) – Is AI really replacing jobs, or is it "fake layoffs"? (00:50:48) – What does a successful deployment of AI models look like in the real world and business applications? (00:59:28) – AI's negative impact on families, younger generations and their learning skills, and why educators and parents need to act (01:10:47) – How corporations manipulate consumer perceptions and pricing using AI (01:17:22) – How the tech sector pushes toxic and negative narratives against students and young people, painting a hopeless picture for their futures (01:31:04) – Why supp…

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## Transcript

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