Reading Cafe Scientifique: Alien AI – the silence is deafening

Links to the local STEAM Groups + Social Media Link Tree

We are looking for speakers for 2026 & beyond. If you would like to get involved and support your local Science community please get in touch – email: scienceinreading [at] gmail.com or twitter: Science in Reading (@ScienceReading) Speaking slot availability can be found via the website.

A friendly Science focused group entertaining the local community with the fascinating world of science – events from hands on workshops to engaging talks.

Our monthly meetups are held upstairs at Zero Degrees (9 Bridge St, Reading RG1 2LR) from 7pm.

So please do come along, grab a beer/food at the downstairs bar (the mango beer and wood fired pizza are epic) and enjoy a relaxed evening of talks + networking + beers.

Everyone welcome!

7:00pm Arrivals
7:30pm Welcome and Introductions
7:35pm Alien AI – the silence is deafening (William Flannery – Deputy Chief Clinical Information Officer)
8:20pm Comfort Break
8:30pm Q&A
9:00pm Networking
9:30pm End

Alien AI – the silence is deafening (William Flannery – Deputy Chief Clinical Information Officer)

Exploring Fermi’s Paradox and the case for biological intelligence being simply a stepping stone to machine intelligence.

William Flannery is a Consultant ENT Surgeon specialising in paediatrics. He has served as Deputy Chief Clinical Information Officer at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust since 2020. He has been closely involved in the Trust’s data and digital programme since the Electronic Patient Record went live in 2017. He is a founder member of the Health Data Institute (HDI), which provides the organisational and governance framework for the Trust’s local Secure Data Environment. The Institute promotes data and digital awareness across the Trust and supports both internal and external research and innovation in Health AI.

He was appointed Clinical Director of the HDI in March 2024. His responsibilities include oversight of regulatory and legal compliance, ethics and consent relating to the use of retrospective health data, and the development of relationships with external academic, NHS and industry partners. He also chairs the HDI Steering Group, which forms part of the Trust’s Data Access Committee governance structure. From 2022 to 2025, he was a Visiting Fellow in Computer Science at the University of Reading. He co-founded the Clinical Data Science Research Group whose core operating model was pairing clinicians with academics to produce leading edge, health data science solutions to improve patient care, patient safety and address health inequalities. This operating model has been adopted by the HDI.

If you would like to get involved and support your local Science community please get in touch – email: scienceinreading [at] gmail.com or twitter: Science in Reading (@ScienceReading)

Speaking slot availability can be found via the website.

We meet 1st Tuesday of the month. Format is gathering from 7.00pm with talks commencing at 7.30pm. Talks timings are completely flexible but generally 40-60mins + Q&A with a ~20mins break to encourage social networking.

Contact’s: email: scienceinreading [at] gmail.com or twitter: Science in Reading (@ScienceReading)