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Founded: 2018; 7 years ago

Director: Professor Simon Lucey

Founding Director and Chief Scientist: Professor Anton van den Hengel

Deputy Directors: Dr Melissa McCradden, Professor Minh Hoai Nguyen

Type: Research institute

Focus: Artificial intelligence, machine learning

Location: Adelaide, South Australia

Members: approx. 200

University: Adelaide University (formerly the University of Adelaide)

Website: adelaide.edu.au/aiml


Article begins below.

The Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) is a research institute focused on artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, deep learning and machine learning. It is based at the Lot Fourteen innovation precinct in Adelaide, South Australia. AIML is the largest university-based machine learning research group in Australia(1) and is Australia’s first institute dedicated to research in machine learning.

History and initiatives

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AIML was established in 2018(2) as part of the University of Adelaide when it incorporated the University's Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT), led by Professor Anton van den Hengel as Founding Director.(3) The Government of South Australia allocated A$7.1 million to support the Institute’s launch.(4) AIML became a tenant at Lot Fourteen in 2020.(5) Professor Simon Lucey was appointed as Director in October that year.

In 2021, AIML launched the Centre for Augmented Reasoning (CAR), a four-year A$20 million initiative funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Education to advance machine learning research, under the leadership of Professor van den Hengel as CAR Director. CAR aims to improve AI’s ability to process human instructions and interactions through natural conversation(6) and has provided funding and operational support to the Kingston AI Group of Australian AI professors.

In 2023, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) awarded AIML A$1.9 million to develop machine learning capability for the University of Adelaide node of the Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) and enhance the profitability and global competitiveness of the Australian grains sector.(7)(8)

In September 2024, the University of Adelaide announced a five-year strategic partnership between AIML and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) to establish the CommBank Centre for Foundational AI Research with A$6 million in funding, aimed at advancing foundational AI research and capability in Australia.(9)

In December 2024, AIML partnered with CSIRO’s Data61 to launch the Responsible AI Research (RAIR) Centre, focusing on ethical AI development and governance. With A$20 million investment from the University of Adelaide, CSIRO, and the South Australian Government, the RAIR Centre aims to address key challenges in responsible AI at a national and international scale.(10) Professor Javen (Qinfeng) Shi was appointed as Interim Director of the RAIR Centre in February 2025.

Also in 2024, AIML launched the Industrial AI Program, supported by A$12 million in funding from the Government of South Australia through the Department of State Development’s Research and Innovation Fund. This program seeks to enhance AI adoption in industrial sectors, driving economic growth and job creation in South Australia.(11)

In 2026, AIML will become an entity of Adelaide University following the merger between the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

Research

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AIML operates on an open-access model, making most of its world-leading research publicly available through conferences, journals, and open-source software. Its researchers apply machine learning across diverse industries, including but not limited to agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and filmmaking.(12) The Institute's research spans various machine learning areas, such as pedestrian detection, semantic segmentation, object tracking, image classification, and face detection.(14)

In 2022, AIML partnered with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) to create “Artificial intelligence: your questions answered,”(13) a collection of short papers that offer a primer into the world of AI and the opportunities and risks this technology presents to Australia. The papers were edited by AIML Institute Manager Dr Kathy Nicholson and Adam Slonim.

In 2023, AIML partnered with the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) to develop “Responsible AI: Your questions answered,”(14) a collection of short papers that offer “an insight into the world of responsible artificial intelligence and the opportunities this presents to Australia.”

AIML also explores AI applications in healthcare, focusing on ethical clinical implementation, biomarker discovery, and predictive models for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response.(15) In 2025, Project CANAIRI (Collaboration for trANslational AI tRIals) was established by an international team led by AIML Deputy Director Dr Melissa McCradden to test that AI tools function effectively and equitably in real-world healthcare settings.(16)

In 2023 alone, AIML members authored 278 papers in leading international journals and conferences.(7)

Industry and commercialisation

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In 2018, AIML formed a partnership with Lockheed Martin as its first foundation partner.(17) Between 2018 and 2021, AIML collaborated with 21 companies to improve their AI and machine learning capabilities, creating 30 new jobs and developing 13 AI products. Companies included Rising Sun Pictures, which integrated machine learning into visual effects for the 2022 film Elvis(18), and Acacia Systems, a defence technology firm specialising in data fusion and tactical software.(19)

Several AIML PhD students were awarded prestigious Google Research Fellowships. Zhi Tian was awarded in 2019 for his work in machine perception.(20) Yifan Liu, who would then later become an AIML academic, was awarded in 2020 in recognition of her work in computer vision.(21) Liu sadly passed away in 2023. Xinlong Wang was awarded the fellowship in 2021 for his work in instance segmentation.(22)

In 2020, AIML developed an AI-powered grain classification software prototype for South Australian agricultural technology company Cropify, reducing the time needed to assess the quality of an industry-standard sample of lentils from 24 minutes to just 90 seconds.(23)

In 2023, AIML sent several of its students aboard to visit some of the most prestigious universities and companies in the world. PhD student Cameron Gordon partook in an internship at Apple.(24) PhD student Harrison Taylor Bagley visited Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to a visit to Carnegie Mellon University, PhD student Lana Tikhomirov also visited Harvard University and attended a machine learning conference at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).(7)

In 2021, AIML worked with 2024 Lifetime Achievement Grammy award winner Laurie Anderson to create an AI chatbot of her deceased husband, legendary rocker Lou Reed.(25) The story was an international news piece, and was broadcast on U.S. “60 Minutes.”(26)

Also in 2021, AIML developed an AI system for SA Pathology to detect and count Ki-67 positive cells in cancer tissue samples. Ki-67 is a common biomarker for high levels of cell division.(27) And AIML developed algorithms for the Vitivisor system: an information, prediction and advisory platform for Australian winegrowers. The system is installed onto Vitibox, a small unit mounted on a quad bike or tractor, which takes pictures of grapes on the vines for analysis.(25)

That same year, AIML collaborated with Denham D’Silva’s craft brewery, Barossa Valley Brewing, to develop Rodney AI²P, an India pale ale, using a recipe designed entirely by AI. The ale was named in honour of Rodney Brooks(28), an Australian robotics pioneer and co-founder of iRobot. In 2025, AIML continued its collaboration with D’Silva through his company Deep Liquid to create AI-guided personalised health drinks.(29)

In 2022, AIML signed an agreement with Singapore-based security firm Certis Group to develop computer vision software that analyses airport security camera footage to detect and identify unattended items left behind by passengers.(30)

Also in 2022, AIML collaborated with Adelaide start-up MyVenue to develop an algorithm that predicts food and drink sales in sports stadiums and arenas, helping to minimise waste and improve cash flow.(31)

In 2023, AIML collaborated with the University of the Sunshine Coast to launch the National Bushfire Resilience Network (NOBURN) app. As a citizen science initiative, the app enables users to take photos of fire-prone areas, with the collected data being used to develop an AI model to assess bushfire risk.(7)

In 2024, AIML announced a signed agreement between Space Machines Company, an Australian-Indian in-space servicing firm, and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The collaboration is aimed at launching Space Machines Company’s second Optimus spacecraft aboard NSIL’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in a mission in 2026 entitled the Space MAITRI मैत्री (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation), which is also Sanskrit for friendship. This collaboration involved AIML researchers who are applying AI to enable Optimus to approach the SSLV safely.(32)

In 2025 through CAR, the AIML Shop will be launched and will offer open-source code and machine learning tools stemming from the Institute’s cutting-edge research.

Recognition and awards

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AIML has ranked third globally for publications in top-tier computer vision conferences and has achieved first place in international leaderboards, including Cityscapes, Visual Question Answering (VQA), the Retinal Fundus Glaucoma (REFUGE) challenge, and Microsoft’s Common Objects in Context (COCO) Captioning Challenge.(33)

Since the Institute’s inception, AIML’s researchers have consistently secured prestigious awards and grants including from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) scheme.(34) In 2023 alone, AIML’s research teams received over A$2.2 million in total project funding from the ARC.(7)

In November 2021, AIML received the Excellence in Science and Industry Collaboration Award at the SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards.(35)

In 2023, a team composed of AIML researchers Dr Xinyu Li, Dr Zhen Zhang, Professor Anton van den Hengel, and Professor Javen (Qinfeng) Shi, won the Open Catalyst Challenge hosted by Meta AI Research (formerly Facebook AI Research) on the NeurIPS Competition Track.(7)

In 2024, AIML Deputy Director Dr Melissa McCradden, received a prestigious five-year Hospital Research Foundation Fellowship in Paediatric AI Ethics. That same year, the Institute was awarded a A$48,500 Theo Murphy Initiative grant from the Australian Academy of Science. The grant will fund efforts to establish a symposium to drive new cross-discipline collaborations and forge new paths in responsible AI.(37)

Also in 2024, AIML Director Professor Simon Lucey won in the Artificial Intelligence category at the 2024 American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham) Alliance Awards.

In 2025, AIML members Dr Yuan Zhang and Dr Tim Chen, along with University of Adelaide Professor Louise Hull, and Dr Jodie Avery of the University of Adelaide’s Robinson Research Institute, were awarded A$498,291 in funding from the Australia's Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite Grants as part of the IMAGENDO® team. The IMAGENDO® study is pioneering the use of AI and machine learning to reduce diagnostic delays for endometriosis.(38)

Several AIML researchers have also secured several awards for their contributions to their fields of study. Associate Professor Qi Wu was recognised as a South Australian Young Tall Poppy of the Year in 2022 for his work in Common-sense Visual Question Answering (VQA).(39) Dr Dhani Dharmaprani was awarded a Channel 7 Young Achiever Award in 2024 for her work in computational cardiology.(40) Dr Wei Zhang was also recognised as a South Australian Young Tall Poppy in 2024 for her work in sensor technologies.(41) Dr Xinyu Zhang won in the Education/Research category at the 2025 Women Leading Tech Awards in recognition of her work in computer vision and metric learning(42) and post-graduate researcher Zachary Shinnick was the recipient of the 2025 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship.

Education

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AIML is part of the University of Adelaide’s School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences. Postgraduate students enrolled at the University can pursue research at AIML through programs such as the Master in Data Science, Master of AI & Machine Learning, Master of Philosophy, or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Undergraduate students engage with AIML academics through courses in computer science and mathematical sciences. As of 2025, AIML is host to over 70 research students.

See also

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University of Adelaide

Lot Fourteen

[edit]

Official website (https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/)


  • Why it should be changed:

The Wikipedia entry for the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) has not been updated since 2022 and is now vastly outdated. It lacks significant information about the Institute’s current research initiatives and commercialisation activities. Notably, AIML has expanded to include three dedicated research centres: the Centre for Augmented Reasoning, the Responsible AI Research Centre, and the CommBank Centre for Foundational AI Research.


  • References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button):

(1) "Australian Institute of Machine Learning work in AI leads Australia, up with world's best, at Lot Fourteen, Adelaide city". Adelaide AZ. Retrieved 5 May 2022. https://adelaideaz.com/articles/australian-institute-of-machine-learning-s-work-in-ai-leads-australia-and-among-best-in-world--at-adelaide-s-lot-fourteen-

(2) Crozier, Ry (11 December 2017). "Adelaide to open a machine learning institute". iTnews. Retrieved 9 June 2022. https://www.itnews.com.au/news/adelaide-to-open-a-machine-learning-institute-479583

(3) About us, Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/about-us

(4) Sarraf, Samira (11 December 2017). "SA Govt pumps $7.1M into machine learning institute". ARN. Retrieved 9 June 2022. https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/631075/sa-govt-pumps-7-1m-into-machine-learning-institute/

(5) "Australian Institute of Machine Learning joins Lot Fourteen". Technology decisions. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20200218041148/https:/www.technologydecisions.com.au/content/it-management/news/australian-institute-of-machine-learning-joins-lot-fourteen-526964983

(6) Centre for Augmented Reasoning. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/our-key-initiatives/centre-for-augmented-reasoning

(7) AIML Annual Report 2023, Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/system/files/media/documents/2024-11/aiml-annual-report-2023.pdf

(8) University of Adelaide Research Scholarships – Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry, University of Adelaide. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://scholarships.adelaide.edu.au/Scholarships/postgraduate-research/faculty-of-sciences-engineering-and-technology-set/university-20

(9) Hendry, Justin (21 November 2024). “CommBank AI research investment ‘paid for itself’ in three weeks”. InnovationAus. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.innovationaus.com/commbank-ai-research-investment-paid-for-itself-in-three-weeks/

(10) Rawls, Dana (9 December 2024). “AI is shaping our world, and we need to do it in the most human way possible”: New research centre to address responsible AI’. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2024/12/09/ai-is-shaping-our-world-and-we-need-to-do-it-in-the-most-human-way-possible

(11) Koch, Rhiannon. “AIML receives state government funding boost”. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/news/list/2024/05/08/aiml-receives-state-government-funding-boost

(12) "Australian Institute of Machine Learning work in AI leads Australia, up with world's best, at Lot Fourteen, Adelaide city". Adelaide AZ. Retrieved 5 May 2022. https://adelaideaz.com/articles/australian-institute-of-machine-learning-s-work-in-ai-leads-australia-and-among-best-in-world--at-adelaide-s-lot-fourteen-

(13) Nicholson, K & Slonim, A (11 April 2022). “Artificial intelligence: your questions answered”. Retrieved 10 April 2025. https://www.aspi.org.au/report/artificial-intelligence-your-questions-answered

(14) Responsible AI: Your questions answered (23 November 2023). Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering. Retrieved 10 April 2025. https://atse.org.au/what-we-do/strategic-advice/responsible-ai-essays/

(15) Medical and Health. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/our-impact/medical-and-health

(16) Project CANAIRI. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/our-key-initiatives/project-canairi

(17) "Lockheed Martin partners with Uni of Adelaide on machine learning - Chief IT - For IT Leaders & Decision Makers". Chief IT. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2022. https://chiefit.me/lockheed-martin-partners-with-uni-of-adelaide-on-machine-learning/

(18) Failes, Ian (9 August 2022). "'Elvis featured a ton of VFX you may not have noticed". befores & afters. Retrieved 19 August 2022. https://beforesandafters.com/2022/08/10/elvis-featured-a-ton-of-vfx-you-may-not-have-noticed/

(19) "Research & Development". Acacia Systems. Retrieved 10 June 2022. https://www.acaciasystems.com.au/research-development/

(20) Holyoak, E (23 July 2019). “Congrats to Google PhD Fellowship Awardee”. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 11 April 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2019/07/23/congrats-to-google-phd-fellowship-awardee

(21) Kim, Susie (8 October 2020). “Announcing the 2020 Google PhD Fellows”. Google Blog. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://research.google/blog/announcing-the-2020-google-phd-fellows/

(22) Walker, T (31 August 2021). “AIML PhD student awarded 2021 Google PhD Fellowship”. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 11 April 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2021/08/31/aiml-phd-student-awarded-2021-google-phd-fellowship

(23) “Meet the AgTech innovators with the fingers on the pulse”, Lot Fourteen. Retrieved 28 March 2025. https://lotfourteen.com.au/news/making-the-grade/

(24) Herraman, Jo (5 September 2024). “Changing course: paths to a career in machine learning”. The University of Adelaide Student News. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/news/news/list/2024/09/02/changing-course-paths-to-a-career-in-machine-learning

(25) https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/laurie-anderson-uses-ai-to-communicate-with-lou-reed/

(26) Cooper, Anderson (July 24, 2022). “"I tell stories": Artist and pioneer of the avant-garde Laurie Anderson on her unique work and life.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/laurie-anderson-60-minutes-2022-07-24/

(27) AIML Annual Report 2021. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 31 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/ua/media/1641/aiml_annual_report_2021.pdf

(28) Major, Eddie (16 December 2021). “Machine learning students say cheers with AI beers”. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 31 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2021/12/16/machine-learning-students-say-cheers-with-ai-beers

(29) Rawls, Dana (19 March 2025). “Deep Liquid: democratising AI one beverage at a time”. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 31 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2025/03/19/deep-liquid-democratising-ai-one-beverage-at-a-time

(30) Major, Eddie (15 September 2022). “New computer vision technology for safer public transport facilities”. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 31 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2022/09/15/new-computer-vision-technology-for-safer-public-transport-facilities

(31) AIML Annual Report 2022. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 1 April 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/ua/media/1765/aiml_annual_report_2022.pdf

(32) Rawls, Dana (19 September 2024). “A new way of ‘doing space:’ AIML-supported Space MAITRI mission part of historic launch agreement”. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2024/09/19/a-new-way-of-doing-space-aiml-supported-space-maitri-mission-part-of-historic

(33) AiLab Partner: Australian Institute for Machine Learning. AiLab. Retrieved 1 April 2025.

(34) Will, Ian (28 November 2018). “AIML awarded over $1 million in ARC Grants”. Australian Institute for Machine Learning. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/aiml/news/list/2018/11/28/aiml-awarded-over-1-million-in-arc-grants

(35) 2021 Winners. Sa Science Excellence and Innovation Awards. Retrieved 10 June 2022. https://www.scienceawards.sa.gov.au/2021-winners

(36) https://hospitalresearch.org.au/news/latest-news/ai-ethics-expert-to-drive-innovation-in-childrens-healthcare/

(37) https://www.science.org.au/news-and-events/news-and-media-releases/academy-announces-2024-25-recipients-of-theo-murphy-initiative-australia-grants

(38) https://www.aea.gov.au/download/628/aea-ignite-round-1-projects/288/aea-ignite-round-1-projects/pdf

(39) Danenberg, Eleanor (5 August 2022). “University’s Tall Poppies stand tall”. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/news/list/2022/08/05/universitys-tall-poppies-stand-tall

(40) 7News Young Achiever Awards. Awards Australia. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://awardsaustralia.com/young-achiever-awards/sa/current-winners/

(41) Koch, Rhiannon (2 October 2024). “University poppies join field of expertise”. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 26 March 2025. https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/news/list/2022/08/05/universitys-tall-poppies-stand-tall

(42) Meet the Women Leading Tech Awards winners presented by Atlassian. Bandt. Retrieved 1 April 2025. https://www.bandt.com.au/meet-the-women-leading-tech-awards-winners-presented-by-atlassian/

Miguel AIML (talk) 06:18, 30 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hello Miguel AIML. Are you able upload the original wikitext to your sandbox? It may make it easier to transfer the content with the references instead of manually adding them. Queen Douglas DC-3 (talk) 02:34, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Queen Douglas DC-3, would it be helpful to copy-paste the content from here into my sandbox? The content above was originally prepared using footnotes in Word, which we can provide instead? Though I don't think I can upload a Word doc to Wikipedia. Grateful for your assistance, thank you! Miguel AIML (talk) 03:44, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I've uploaded the content to my sandbox if needed. Miguel AIML (talk) 03:49, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I've merged the text with content from the current revision and converted it into wikitext along with requests for some missing references and other comments. Please use Wikipedia's VisualEditor instead of Microsoft Word if possible. Queen Douglas DC-3 (talk) 08:30, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I've uploaded it to your sandbox. Use the pencil icon on the top right to switch to VisualEditor if it isn't already. Queen Douglas DC-3 (talk) 08:31, 5 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

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