I work as an advisor and consultant, helping organisations adopt AI thoughtfully. This runs through my two companies: Octonion Technologies, my consultancy and advisory practice focused on AI adoption, automation, and AI governance, and Octonion Software, through which I build software and products. A lot of that work is about automation: finding where AI can take repetitive, manual tasks off people's hands, then putting the right guardrails around it so it stays reliable and well governed. I also continue to advise teams and investors across blockchain and gaming, staying fairly chain agnostic and picking the right technology for the problem at hand rather than assuming all blockchains are equal.
Previously, I was part of the Web3 Foundation team, where I managed the grants program. The foundation lead the stewardship of the Polkadot Network, a next-generation blockchain platform.
I'm deeply passionate about exploring cutting-edge technologies, particularly blockchain and AI, and continuously seek opportunities to engage with innovative projects at the forefront of these fields.
I maintain a personal blog that contains my long-form writing on a range of topics since 2009, you can find it here: esoteriic.com.
Professional Background
- Founder, Octonion Technologies & Octonion Software (2020 - Present)
- Advising organisations on AI adoption, automation, and AI governance, alongside blockchain and gaming work, and building software and products.
- Various Roles + Grants Manager, Web3 Foundation (2018 - 2020)
- Established and managed the grants program to foster the growth of the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems.
- Security Consultant, Portcullis / Cisco (2015 - 2018)
- Worked as a penetration tester and GRC consultant.
- MSc, Information Security (2014 - 2015) - Royal Holloway, University of London
- PhD, Astrophysics (2007 - 2011) - University of Glasgow
- MPhys, Physics and Astronomy (2002 - 2007) - University of Edinburgh
Future Directions
I'm most focused on how AI can make organisations more capable: sensible adoption, practical automation, and the governance that keeps it trustworthy. I stay just as interested in the intersections of blockchain, gaming, and security, and in decentralized platforms that give players real ownership.
Feel free to reach out if you'd like to discuss any of these topics or potential collaborations!
Contact
Best way to contact me is via LinkedIn, although email can also work:
hello@. edthomson .com