Rufus Curnow - Freelance AI Consultant Available for AI workshops, speaking, training, and consultancy.
About
I've always been fascinated by AI and passionate about education. What excites me most now is helping people understand what AI can actually do and how to use it in a practical and responsible way.
I spent over 20 years in the education industry, most recently as Director of Product Management and Content Strategy at Pearson UK. In that role, I led teams building digital learning products used by academic staff and students across the UK and internationally. As Generative AI began to emerge, I got involved in integrating it into our products and workflows. I became an internal AI ambassador, working with teams to explore how these tools could be used effectively, and helping others build confidence in using them.
That experience led me to pivot my career fully into AI in early 2025. I initially joined Dixon Humphreys as a freelance consultant before becoming a founding full-time member of Dixon AI. There, I helped design and deliver AI capability programmes for organisations, both online and in person. I now work as an independent consultant, continuing to collaborate closely with Dixon AI.
I've delivered over 50 AI workshops and training programmes, working with audiences ranging from master's students and higher education leadership teams through to senior professionals and C-suite leaders. I've supported organisations from small businesses to large enterprises, helping them move from curiosity about AI to practical, confident and safe use.
The Red Giant is the name I write under for my newsletter, and the philosophy behind my work. The name comes from Rufus meaning red-haired, and from being very tall. A red giant is a star that has expanded dramatically, and it felt like the right metaphor for AI. Something that started small and is now shaping almost every part of how we live and work.
Philosophy
AI is genuinely powerful. Probably the most powerful tool we've ever had access to. I believe that, and I don't think it's hype.
But power isn't the same as benefit. Whether AI is good or bad for your organisation, your people, or society depends almost entirely on how it's understood and how it's used. And right now, a lot of it is being used without nearly enough understanding.
The problems I see most often aren't dramatic. They're quieter than that. Outputs trusted without being checked. Decisions shaped by systems nobody has really examined. Sensitive information shared with tools that were never designed to handle it. Accountability that gets blurry when something goes wrong.
These aren't reasons to avoid AI. They're reasons to take it seriously.
I'm not here to encourage AI adoption for its own sake. I'm here to help people understand AI well enough to make their own informed decisions about it, and to put the right thinking in place before the problems appear.
Curious about AI, or thinking about how your organisation should be approaching it?
I'm always open to a conversation, whether that's a speaking enquiry, a workshop discussion, or just an exchange of ideas.
Get in touch