49. From No.10 to Next-Gen AI: Ben Turner on Behaviour Prediction & Synthetic Data

In this episode of the Business of AI podcast, we’re joined by Ben Warner, co-founder of Electric Twin, a company creating cutting-edge synthetic populations to help organisations understand and predict human behaviour at unprecedented speed. Ben shares his journey from academic physicist at UCL, to applied AI leader at Faculty, to chief adviser in Number 10 during the Covid-19 crisis. That experience revealed a fundamental gap in our ability to model real-world behaviour, inspiring Electric Twin’s mission: to give decision-makers rapid, accurate insights that once required weeks of surveys and complex research.

Ben breaks down how Electric Twin builds “digital audiences” using advanced AI models, data science and social science, enabling companies to test ideas, messages and products in seconds rather than months. He also discusses powerful applications across marketing, product development, public policy and even predicting behavioural responses in areas like health or political engagement. With examples ranging from media companies to telecoms firms, Ben shows how synthetic audiences can accelerate decision-making and reduce reliance on slow, expensive traditional research. The conversation also explores the UK’s broader AI opportunity, the future of behavioural modelling, and how tools like Electric Twin could help shape smarter, evidence-driven policy.

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