The bespoke software and AI development agency has appointed Adam Clarke as Senior Software and AI Engineer. He is its first hire focused entirely on AI, and will lead how the agency uses AI internally and in the services it delivers to clients.

Bath-based software development agency Rocketmakers has appointed Adam Clarke as Senior Software and AI Engineer, the agency’s first hire dedicated wholly to AI. 

Adam brings more than 15 years of experience in data engineering and machine learning, including nine years leading architecture and innovation at The Filter, the Bath AI company co-founded by musician Peter Gabriel.

Adam graduated from UWE Bristol with a BSc in Games Technology in 2011. From 2012 to 2021, he was at The Filter, where he accelerated architecture and innovation for a business whose data science, analysis, and machine learning technologies help viewers find and watch more video content. 

There he delivered a string of first-of-a-kind machine learning and recommendation services for clients including leading advertisers and global streaming platforms. He has also worked on numerous applied AI research and innovation projects, including authoring white papers on the use of vision engines.

In the newly created role, Adam will build and deliver Rocketmakers’ AI strategy, covering both how the team works and the AI services it builds for clients. 

That starts with a standardised approach to AI across the business and in client deliverables. From there, he will follow and test new tools and frameworks as they emerge, adapt the most promising ones, and evaluate which are strong enough to offer to clients. He will also run fortnightly AI innovation sessions for the team and analyse how AI is being used across the business, so that decisions about where to invest are driven by data.

Matt Harris, CIO of Rocketmakers, said:

“AI now comes up in almost every conversation we have with our clients, and more and more projects begin with an AI prototype of some sort. The tools are moving faster than any one person can keep up with.

“Experimentation in isolation doesn’t help us grow as a business. Adam’s role gives us one clear, tested approach across our own delivery and the AI services we build for clients. It means we will be able to identify the best use cases sooner, roll them out faster, and make sure our clients benefit directly from it.”

The appointment also reflects a shift in the work coming through the door at Rocketmakers. Alongside its bespoke software projects, the agency is seeing growing demand from businesses that have prototyped apps with AI tools. These businesses need support to make those apps production-ready, particularly on codebase quality, security and best practice.

Adam Clarke, Senior Software and AI Engineer at Rocketmakers, said:

“AI is still changing fast and showing no real sign of slowing down. At the same time, adoption is high in our industry, so there’s huge value in having a consistent and tested way of applying these technologies internally and for our clients.

“That means creating an approach to AI that clients can rely on and the whole team can build on. It isn’t about AI adoption at all costs; it’s about AI as an engineering discipline: understanding where it adds value and where it doesn’t. I’m looking forward to building that with the team.”

About Rocketmakers

Rocketmakers is an award-winning software design and development agency based in Bath, UK. We work with funded startups, scaleups, and corporate innovators to design, build, and launch software that makes a difference.