Meet Oliver Tearle - Head of Research

You’ve been with ai for over a decade — can you take us back to the beginning? What first drew you to this field, and what convinced you that ai was the right place to build your career?

Back when I started, I was looking for a career in research and development. ai seemed like a great fit, and there was an opportunity to start building a machine learning-based fraud detection system. This became the first version of aiSmartScore^®, built from the ground up by a small group of developers, data scientists, and me. It was a very exciting time with rapid development and experimentation in a start-up-like atmosphere.

You’ve moved through several roles, including Head of Research. How has your career evolved over the years, and what have been the biggest turning points in your journey?

The biggest turning point was when I was working on the core machine learning part of the system with the data scientist at the time, and I became deeply involved in it. At that point, the business was looking for the Head of Research position, and I decided to go for it and haven’t looked back. 

Since then, I’ve been working as a hybrid developer/data scientist, and once the work on aiAutoPilot ML^® was completed, I moved into a more focused data scientist role whilst still leading our Innovation function.

What does a typical day look like for you now, and how different is it from when you first joined?

A typical day for me is spent solving technical problems, ranging from data pipeline processing issues to scientific problems, while keeping an eye on where future effort should be directed. When I started, it was all engineering – building all the pieces for aiSmartScore^® and ensuring they worked together with the other pieces from the other developers.

Tell us about your team. What makes it special, and how do you work together to drive innovation?

I am lucky to have very smart people on my team who are always willing to push themselves to accomplish our joint goals. I set challenging goals, and they always rise to the challenge. I like to have both short- and long-term projects running simultaneously, so we’re keeping on top of new developments in the field whilst improving the products and services we offer today.

Congratulations on completing your PhD in 'An Automated Approach to Financial Fraud Management'. What inspired you to pursue it alongside your role, and how has that experience influenced your work at ai?

This came about from my keen interest in the research area and future aspirations to move into a more research-focused role, which I’m fortunate to be doing now. The PhD obviously encourages deep study, but it also teaches you to be persistent and to continue with areas of study you believe (and can show with research) that there’s promise in application. 

Looking back over the past 10+ years, what achievement or moment stands out as your proudest, and why?

At the top of the list is my PhD! Aside from that, I have built 3 products and reworked them into 2 stronger versions: aiAutoPilot ML^® and aiSmartScore^®. I am incredibly proud of the work I put into each of these products. 

What do you love most about your role today?

The research that my team and I are working on. I love coming up with ideas, then running experiments to validate them. Some ideas develop into even more interesting ideas depending on the results, and I love this.

If you had to describe ai in three words, what would they be, and why?

Focused, innovative, encouraging.

The business is razor-focused on its customers and prioritises customer experience to ensure the customer is happy. That focus also extends out to future opportunities that ai can bring to customers, and there is always a lot going on to support that.

One of the ‘core pillars’ of the business is innovation. ai is constantly innovating across all business areas, not just in research, and that makes it an exciting place to be.

The ai Corporation is very encouraging of all staff. New ideas are welcome, and this is especially important in my field, where new ideas are born all the time. 

In an industry that moves quickly, what has kept you at ai for more than a decade?

I really enjoy my work. I enjoy each and every project I work on, and there’s always a new challenge. 

How would you describe the culture at ai to someone considering joining the team?

Everyone at ai is very welcoming, friendly and quick to lend a hand. You will learn a lot from your colleagues, they’re a smart bunch!

What advice would you give to someone starting their career in this field?

If you believe an idea will work, be persistent, and you’ll make it work! Don’t be afraid to ask for help; there are lots of people who want to help you. Practise, practise, practise. Get as much experience as possible, as there is a lot you can only gain through doing projects yourself.

Where do you see the industry heading in the next 5 years?

We’re already seeing the shift to EVs impacting traditional fuel sales, and this will only increase. Service stations will evolve to capitalise on the increased time people spend there, as charging takes much longer than traditional refuelling. 

In terms of payments, everything will become more streamlined. This is already happening with the transition from closed to open-loop, and I see there being a lot of innovation in the fuel card space as the industry adapts to these two extremely large changes happening at the same time.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I used to be able to backflip on the ground and land on my feet – no trampoline. I can’t do it anymore, sadly.