March 2026 - The AI security challenge with Bob Oates and final Meetup!

We're excited to invite you to join us for our last ever Staffs Web Meetup.

Join us for an evening of great talks, discuss the latest and hottest topics and socialising/networking.

🎤 Featured Talk: "Four problems in a trench coat - the AI security challenge, and how to tame it” by Bob Oates

The rapid emergence and adoption of AI has been transformational for many organisations. But some adopters have discovered that the use of AI can expose their organisation to security risk.

The term “AI Security” has emerged, but its meaning has become confused and complex. Not only does the definition vary between organisations, but it can also vary between people within the same organisation. In some cases it even means different things coming from the same person at different times!

That ambiguity has made tackling this challenge even more complex.

Addressing this complex space needs both clarity of purpose and an interdisciplinary approach. AI practitioners and cyber security teams will need to collaborate with software engineers, data scientists, safety experts and ethicists.

In this talk, I shall provide clear descriptions of the four separate problems that have huddled together to create the entity “AI Security” and how we can divide, conquer, and tame these creatures that have sneaked into our infrastructure and threaten our organisations.

Bio:
Dr Bob Oates is a cyber security expert with over a decade of industrial experience, focusing predominantly on safety-critical, operational technologies and critical national infrastructure. He is the technical lead for Cambridge Consultant's NCSC-assured post quantum cryptography consultancy and sits within the Trusted AI and Secure Technologies Team exploring the interactions between security and emerging technologies.

As a technical expert Dr Oates has worked on a number of highly-complex and challenging programs including the security for the world’s first commercial remotely operated ship.

Dr Oates has won both Rolls-Royce's Sir Henry Royce award and the Trusted to Deliver Excellence award, as part of the team behind remotely operated ships, and as part of the team behind cryptographic frameworks for securing confidential data on remote compute resource for computational fluid dynamics.

He has an honorary Professorship in Safety and Security from De Montfort University, a PhD in Robotics and Security from The University of Nottingham, and a Master’s degree in Applied Cybernetics and Computer Science from The University of Reading.

🕒 Schedule:
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Arrival, Food, and Networking
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Featured Talk
8:00 PM - 8:15 PM: Short Break
8:15 PM - 8:45 PM: Open discussion
8:45 PM - 9:00 PM: Closing Remarks

🎁 Want to Support Our Community?
Make a monetary donation via: https://monzo.me/philwylie Your support helps cover food, drinks, prizes, and running costs. Every contribution, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated!

📍 Location: Codeweavers Office Unit 16 & 17 Waterfront Way Stafford ST16 2HQ

🚗 Convenient parking available at the nearby Waterfront Multi-Storey Car Park (open until midnight), arrive to the car park after 6pm for a low flat rate fee.

🚉 Short walk from Stafford Station

RSVP now to secure your spot.

P.S. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know when you RVSP