News/April 2025

We’re hiring: Freelance AI/ML Engineer for Interactive Artwork

A person holds a smartphone displaying a colourful illustrated scene from an interactive app. The on-screen text reads: "Think of a party that you went to and find a spot to tell me about it." The phone is mounted on bicycle handlebars, suggesting use while out and about.

Can LLMs help promote experiences of connection and belonging within local communities? 

We’re looking for a skilled AI/ML engineer to join a creative research project with award winning interactive artists Blast Theory.

Blast Theory are seeking an AI/ML Engineer to join in the development of a new interactive artwork based on the acclaimed project Rider Spoke.  

First created in 2007, Rider Spoke is an immersive experience where participants explore their city guided by a mobile app, discovering hidden places and personal messages left by those who came before them.

The project has toured internationally, creating an archive of tens of thousands of recordings from participants. Rider Spoke invites deep reflection and has prompted an unexpected sense of connection among those who have taken part.

18 years on, Blast Theory are seeking to explore how AI might be used to distribute the project more widely – using securely-hosted AI-enabled services to facilitate the participant experience, and to assist with back-end processes such as transcribing and analysing recordings.

About the post

You will be working alongside the Lead Artist and app developer, Nick Tandavanitj, in a collaborative, creative, and research-driven environment to develop AI-enabled services that integrate with the Rider Spoke app. These services may include:

  • Transcribing speech
  • Analysing and classifying recording transcripts 
  • Dynamically generating follow-up prompts for participants

At the core of the project is a commitment to privacy. Therefore, you should have experience architecting and deploying services using self-hosted models and be able to ensure that user data never leaves trusted environments. You’ll collaborate with the Lead Artist on discussing appropriate architectures and technologies for these services and develop secure APIs for these to integrate with the app’s existing technology stack (PostgresQL, Node/TypeScript and React). 

As part of this work, you’ll be asked to share your knowledge: mentoring the Lead Artist to co-develop AI-enabled services with you, maintaining documentation for the services you create, and passing on technical skills in integrating AI/ML pipelines with web applications.

Lastly, you’ll engage with feedback from user tests and contribute to discussions about the potential of AI as it is explored in this setting; reflecting on any ethical dilemmas that arise from the project.

Download the full job description here.

Key Info and Timeline

  • Fee: £350/day
  • Engagement:
    • Trial day (Jun 2025 )
    • Development, Phase 1 (15 days, Jul-Sep 2025)
    • Development, Phase 2 (up to 10 days, Oct-Nov 2025)
  • Location: 
    • We welcome hybrid working, but applicants should be based in the UK and able to attend some in-person working sessions at our Brighton studio.

How to Apply

Download the full job description here.
To apply, fill out this form.
Deadline: Monday 26 May 2025 at 5pm

The form will ask you for the following:

  • A short cover letter (max 1 page)
  • Your CV (or link to a portfolio/GitHub)
  • Any relevant examples of work

We’ll be reviewing applications as they come in and may fill the role before the deadline, so don’t wait to apply!

If you have any questions please email Kizzie at [email protected]

Equal Opportunities

We’re an equal opportunities employer and actively encourage applications from people underrepresented in the arts and tech sector, including people of colour, people with disabilities or mental health conditions (including ‘invisible’ disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD or ASD), people who identify as LGBTQIA+ and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

About Blast Theory

“The variety of experience at Blast Theory is unmatched. We’ve built systems to make phone boxes ring in Hull, made Europe’s first interactive feature film, participated in parades in the USA, and worked on a very unconventional life-coaching app. It’s a supportive and thrilling environment to develop in and work on creative solutions to novel problems of our own making.” 

Michael Kane, Software Lead at Blast Theory (2017-22)

Blast Theory make interactive art to explore social and political questions. The group’s work places the public at the centre of unusual and sometimes unsettling experiences, to create new perspectives and open up the possibility of change.

Led by Matt Adams and Nick Tandavanitj, the group draw on popular culture and new technologies to make performances, games, films, apps and installations.

Blast Theory have shown work at the Venice Biennale, Tribeca Film Festival, ICC in Tokyo, Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin, the Barbican and Tate Britain. Commissioners include Channel 4, Sundance Film Festival and the Royal Opera House.

About Nick Tandavanitj

Nick is an artist in Blast Theory and is undertaking a practice-based PhD at the University of Nottingham exploring ways of reimagining Blast Theory’s work for new contexts and audiences. 

He has experience collaborating on digital projects and is seeking to build practical and technical skills around integrating AI and LLMs in creative applications. 

About BRAID

The project is funded by BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides), a UK-wide programme dedicated to integrating Arts and Humanities research more fully into the Responsible AI ecosystem, as well as bridging the divides between academic, industry, policy and regulatory work on responsible AI. 

You can read more about BRAID at braiduk.org.