PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Blay Whitby

Blay Whitby is a researcher on AI ethics whose work spans professional standards, artificial agents, and responsible robotics. He published a book on AI professionalism in 1988 and completed a Middlesex doctorate on AI's social implications in 2003. His work includes a 2008 call for ethical treatment of artificial agents, an accessible 2012 guide to AI, and a 2017 paper on responsible robotics. As of October 2026, he is an associate tutor in Informatics and a visiting lecturer at the University of Sussex's Centre for Cognitive Science.

Works
54
Citations
703
h-index
12

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1987–1988

    Professionalism in AI

    In 1987, Whitby argues for professional standards in AI and publishes Artificial Intelligence: A Handbook of Professionalism in 1988.

  2. 2003

    A doctorate on AI's social impact

    Whitby completes a DProf at Middlesex University in 2003 with a thesis on the social implications of AI. His education also includes an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from New College Oxford, an MA in Philosophy and an MSc in Knowledge Based Systems from Sussex.

  3. 2008

    Ethics for artificial agents

    In 2008, he calls for action on the ethics of abusing artificial agents in his paper Sometimes it's hard to be a robot.

  4. 2012

    A guide to artificial intelligence

    In 2012, he publishes a revised edition of Artificial Intelligence: A Beginner's Guide, an accessible account of AI's reach and controversies.

  5. 2017

    Responsible robotics principles

    Whitby coauthors Principles of robotics: regulating robots in the real world, which proposes five ethical principles and seven high-level messages for responsible robotics.

  6. October 2024

    Ethics in games and VR

    The BCS Sussex Branch schedules Whitby to speak about ethical questions raised by computer games and virtual reality at its October 2024 meeting.

  7. As of October 2026

    Teaching at Sussex

    He is an associate tutor in Informatics and a visiting lecturer at the Centre for Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex. His research centers on the social and ethical implications of computing and AI.

Career

  1. Since 2007University of SussexAssociate Tutor, Visiting Lecturer

Education

  1. 2003Middlesex UniversityDProf
  2. University of OxfordMA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
  3. University of SussexMA in Philosophy

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Most-cited works

  1. Principles of robotics: regulating robots in the real world2017 · Connection Science · 193 citationsWith Joanna Bryson, Kerstin Dautenhahn, Margaret A. Boden and Paul Newman
  2. Sometimes it’s hard to be a robot: A call for action on the ethics of abusing artificial agents2008 · Interacting with Computers · 176 citations
  3. WHAT MAKES ANY AGENT A MORAL AGENT? REFLECTIONS ON MACHINE CONSCIOUSNESS AND MORAL AGENCY2013 · International Journal of Machine Consciousness · 52 citations
  4. The Tttring Test: Al’s Biggest Blind Alley?1996 · 37 citations
  5. The Turing Test: AI's biggest blind alley?1996 · 29 citations

From OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Sussex. Our estimates of where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led, from education records in cited biographies.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers rose from 2% to 32%Includes University of Sussex. We estimate where leading AI researchers worked when their most-cited papers appeared. The company share rose from 2% in 1975–1979 to 32% in 2020–2024.
  3. Stanford University trained or employed 26 of the 108 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes University of Sussex. Stanford University trained or employed 26 of the 108 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and employment links for major-prize and best-paper winners.
  4. The median h-index is 54 at universities and 19 at frontier AI labsIncludes University of Oxford. The median h-index is 54 at universities and 19 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, citations and moves to estimate how universities and frontier labs contribute to AI research.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Blay Whitby yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Blay Whitby: Publications users.sussex.ac.uk. Checked 18 October 2026.
  2. ALERT Research Group - News & Events related to ALERT members eis.mdx.ac.uk. Checked 18 October 2026.
  3. Intellect Books | Reflections on Artificial Intelligence - The Legal, Moral and Ethical Dimensions, By Blay Whitby intellectbooks.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  4. Selected publications : Blay Whitby : University of Sussex sussex.ac.uk. Checked 18 October 2026.
  5. Artificial Intelligence: A Beginner's Guide - Blay Whitby - Google Books books.google.com. Checked 18 October 2026.
  6. Principles of robotics : regulating robots in the real world - University of Hertfordshire Research Archive uhra.herts.ac.uk. Checked 18 October 2026.
  7. Hybrid event: The Ethics of Games and Games Design (AGM) - Sussex branch | BCS bcs.org. Checked 18 October 2026.
  8. Researchers : People and contacts : Centre for Cognitive Science (COGS) : University of Sussex sussex.ac.uk. Checked 18 October 2026.
  9. Research : Blay Whitby : University of Sussex sussex.ac.uk. Checked 18 October 2026.