About APPRAISE.

Appraise stands for Advocacy and Policy Professionals for a Responsible Artificial Intelligence Sector. We founded the network in February 2023 in response to the growing public and government interest in AI – and the challenges we’ll need to overcome as a society.

As policy and advocacy professionals, experience tells us that if we don’t shape the agenda, it will be set for us. We want to promote responsible AI that benefits businesses, individuals and society. By providing a space for dialogue and debate, we can help support a vibrant AI sector in the UK.

Who we are

We help organisations at the forefront of technological and societal change better communicate with the public and policymakers to build trust and influence policy.

Aidan Muller, co-founder of Appraise Network.

Aidan Muller
Co-founder of Appraise

Aidan has been helping organisations shape political and policy conversations for close to 20 years.

Trained as a journalist, he worked in government PR for seven years, including at Number 10, and as a strategic communications consultant for a further 10 years. He has advised some of the biggest organisations in the world on politically-sensitive issues.

A digital strategist by trade, Aidan is drawn to new technologies and their impact on society. He was part of the generation who introduced social media into government campaigning, and is a thought leader in policy communications and digital public affairs. He runs strategic communications firm Daimon Communications.

James Boyd-Wallis, co-founder of Appraise Network.

James Boyd-Wallis
Co-founder of Appraise

James helps the innovators and entrepreneurs developing the technologies and industries of tomorrow strengthen relationships, enhance reputation and engage in public policy.

From intelligent chatbots and automating marking for teachers to analysing the risk of fraud, many of his clients are at the forefront of developing AI use cases.

James is vice chair of the CIPR’s Public Affairs Group, a chartered PR practitioner and a principal mentor at UCL’s Hatchery startup incubator. He occasionally writes about business, politics and policy for City AM, PR Week and The Daily Telegraph, among others. He runs corporate and public affairs firm Highbury Communications.