In this second episode of our Talking AI series, host Mel Kanarek speaks with Dr. Susan Oman from The University of Sheffield, Centre for Machine Intelligence, about the public-facing Let’s Talk AI awareness campaign seen on Sheffield bus shelters in March and April 2026.

Susan explains that many people are already talking about AI but lack clarity about what it is, when it is used, and how it affects them, drawing on findings from the national Public Voices in AI research. The campaign uses vertically scrolling webtoons, co-designed with members of the public in Sheffield, Morecambe, and Plymouth, to prompt accessible conversations about AI in the media, everyday life, and schools, including issues like deepfakes, scams, and disinformation. Success is defined as changing conversations and raising awareness, with resources at letstalkai.org.uk.

Susan was appointed as Lead for Human-centric AI for the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Machine Intelligence in June 2024. As AI and in/Equality Lead, she champions research, learning and engagement activity from across the university that raises awareness of AI’s role in society – for good and bad. Susan is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on AI, giving evidence in May 2026, and was a member of the UK Delegation to the International AI Impact Summit, Delhi in February 2026.

Links

Let’s Talk AI website

Sheffield Digital article on Let’s Talk AI

Talking AI campaign by Sheffield Digital

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Notes

This interview was recorded on 16th April 2026.

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Thank you for the music

Thanks to Alex Mclean – aka Yaxu – for the show’s intro music, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.