From the Theatre: How AI is redesigning the battery - with the Faraday Institution

For this month's From the Theatre episode, we explore how AI could actually be a force for good in the world of batteries. In collaboration with the Faraday Institution, we hear from three experts to understand how artificial intelligence could optimise the performance of batteries at every scale.

Aaron Walsh (CuspAI / Imperial College London) explains how AI acts as a "digital alchemist" — simulating billions of possible crystal structures to discover battery materials that don't exist yet.

Mona Faraji Niri (WMG, University of Warwick) shows how AI acts as a forensic investigator, decoding sensor data to detect hidden faults and predict a battery's remaining lifespan — sometimes before it's even been used.

Sam Cooper (Imperial College London) reveals how machine learning is used to reverse-engineer the perfect internal "microstructure" of a battery electrode — the missing link between atoms and real-world performance.

This talk was recorded at the Ri on 15 June 2026.

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Producer and presenter: Lia Hale

Music: Joseph Sandy 

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