Staff Spotlight - Dr Ana MacIntosh
As our Director of Strategic Programmes, Dr Ana MacIntosh is responsible for developing and overseeing a portfolio of major programmes under the umbrella of the CfAA. In this spotlight she shares how her role helps shape the current and future work of the CfAA in this prominent and fast-moving field.
1. Can you tell us more about your role and its strategic significance for the CfAA?
My role is unusual in that it’s both strategic and operational. I'm actively involved in the daily operations of the CfAA including developing our partner relationships, philanthropy, long-term sustainability and, of course, our research work. The CfAA is a large centre: we have 11 academic staff, 15 postdoctoral researchers, 33 postgraduate researchers, and 5 operations staff. We also have multiple funders, some of whom are long-term partners, like Lloyd’s Register Foundation, and others who fund smaller or shorter projects. So it’s fair to say that the CfAA is a fairly complex Centre that needs me to understand how everything is connected, and no two days are ever the same for me.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is seeking out synergies and opportunities to bring added value to the Centre’s activities. I look for ways to reduce duplication of effort, help colleagues to achieve the most impact, and bring people with common interests together. This has opened up opportunities for me to get involved in some other major initiatives at York: alongside my role in the CfAA, I was appointed Co-Director of the Institute for Safe Autonomy in April 2025, and I also lead operations and partnerships for the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Safe AI (SAINTS). This means that I need to switch contexts all day long, keeping up with very varied queries and opportunities that might arise, and making sure that I don’t muddy the water for my colleagues - like a lot of senior roles in higher education. If it sounds like I have a lot going on, that’s because I do, but these interconnections are what I thrive on.
Thankfully, all of these are interconnected - for example the CfAA and SAINTS are both located in the Institute for Safe Autonomy (ISA), where we collaborate with researchers from other disciplines, with complementary expertise. So although it might seem complex, I’m able to see how it all fits and works together. .
2. What major changes have you witnessed around investment and support for the safe development of AI and autonomous systems, since you began working here?
I joined the University of York in 2018 to lead the setup and delivery of the Assuring Autonomy International Programme (AAIP) – the CfAA’s predecessor. The AAIP was designed to be radically different to other research initiatives, and had a number of workstreams: our own in-house foundational research was crucial, we also had a large portfolio of funded collaborations, and worked to bring together all the knowledge we were gleaning from research and collaborations into practical guidance and education.
The safety of robotics, autonomy and AI were not on most people’s radars at the time. Since then there’s been a frenzy - we’ve seen many nations establish (and in some cases already disband) AI safety institutes and there was a time when it was all anyone spoke about. But the discourse often centred on existential risks and, whilst it’s good to keep an eye on those long-term risks, we stayed true to working on more immediate, tangible and likely risks: risks of harm caused by autonomous software systems, especially those with machine learning / AI components. Since then, we’ve seen that a number of international priorities have adjusted to focus on national security - safety remains our specialism, and although the public discourse has abated, our work remains as relevant as ever - something I find gratifying to hear from our regulatory and industry partners.
Since 2018, my colleagues and I have secured over £75m of investments in the area of safe autonomy, and one thing I’ve noticed in my role is that no two investments have been the same: we secured funding for individual internships, PhD scholarships and industrial projects, as well as capital investment for our bespoke ISA research facilities, multi-year research and innovation programmes, and major gifts. Having a flexible grant from Lloyd’s Register Foundation to allow us to make the most of short-term opportunities has been a game-changer for us, and given us the freedom to be more agile and responsive.
As the UK higher education sector adjusts to a changing funding landscape, I’ve worked hard to ensure we have some resilience as a group, though it hasn’t been without its challenges, and always relies on the brilliant work of our researchers - we still have so much work to do. Nevertheless our work is starting to have some impact, and that’s extremely gratifying.
3. How has your leadership background in robotics and autonomous systems shaped your approach developing the work of the CfAA?
I think this stretches right back to my PhD, which straddled disciplines, and really formed how I went on to approach my leadership style. I’ve been working in this area since 2014, and I’ve seen some really excellent fundamental work that couldn’t be implemented because it hadn’t been developed with the right framing. For example it’s important for us not to assume people understand what we do, to explain things clearly but thoroughly, and to know our boundaries. Sometimes, we just need a good collaborator rather than trying to become experts in everything - our safety expertise is enough. I’ve also seen the whole university system become more risk-averse, and less able to respond to strategic opportunities, so with the CfAA I’ve been very keen to embrace the opportunity we have to do things differently. We work closely with our partners and supporters, and work with organisations who share our real focus on safety.
4. What are the most exciting strategic developments happening here at the CfAA?
Firstly, I’m excited about bringing in CfAA Fellows. We had an excellent fellowship programme in the AAIP and this is something I’m keen to continue in the CfAA. Our Fellows really help us to refine the issues we should be addressing, and validate our work in their own areas of expertise. Our Fellows are our first line in ensuring we’re not working in an echo-chamber.
Secondly, we’re also finalising some new industrial partnerships which I’m very pleased about. And I’m looking for new partners. The CfAA has reached the point where it can afford to choose partners carefully: they don’t have to be experts in safety, but they do need to be committed to its importance. So my wish-list includes companies, regulators or policymakers, and I’d love to partner with a charity to support our work to have an impact in healthcare, automotive, or energy.
5. Where can we find you outside of the CfAA?
I throw myself into all sorts of things, both in and out of work. You’ll find me hosting a party surrounded by friends, mirrorballs and cocktails one weekend; creating an elaborate gingerbread house with my family the next; and heading off with my rucksack and a list of interesting foods to a far-flung place on another. Give me a dystopian novel, a plane ticket and a week off: I’ll return sparky and ready to face what’s coming.