The Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) is a research institute at the University of Adelaide, based at the Lot Fourteen precinct in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the largest university-based machine learning research group in Australia and the country's first institute dedicated to Machine learning research. AIML focuses on Artificial intelligence, Computer vision, Deep learning, and related fields, with an emphasis on applying research to industry and societal challenges.
AIML operates on an open access model, publishing most of its research through conferences, journals, and open source software. Its work spans areas such as robotic vision, trusted autonomous systems, surveillance and tracking, and photogrammetry and 3D modelling. The institute applies machine learning across agriculture, medical imaging, manufacturing, mining, and filmmaking, among other industries.
History
AIML was established in 2018 as part of the University of Adelaide, incorporating the Australian Centre for Visual Technologies (ACVT). Anton van den Hengel, previously ACVT's leader, served as the founding director. The Government of South Australia provided A$7.1 million to support the institute's launch. American aerospace and defence corporation Lockheed Martin became AIML's founding partner in the same year.
Between 2018 and 2021, AIML collaborated with 21 companies to enhance their AI capabilities and develop new products. Notable partners included Rising Sun Pictures, a visual effects and animation business, with which AIML developed machine learning tools, and Acacia Systems, a defence technology company specializing in data fusions and tactical tools. In 2021, Microsoft signed a memorandum of understanding with AIML to explore applications of cloud computing, AI, computer vision, and machine learning in space.
AIML moved into the Lot Fourteen precinct in 2020, and Simon Lucey was appointed director in October of that year. In 2021, AIML launched the Centre for Augmented Reasoning (CAR), a four-year A$20 million initiative funded by the federal Department of Education, under the leadership of Anton van den Hengel. CAR focuses on improving AI's ability to process human instructions through natural conversation and supports the Kingston AI Group of Australian AI professors.
In 2023, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) awarded AIML A$1.9 million to develop machine learning for the University of Adelaide node of the Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI). In September 2024, AIML partnered with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) to establish the CommBank Centre for Foundational AI Research, backed by A$6 million over five years. In December 2024, AIML and CSIRO's Data61 launched the Responsible AI Research (RAIR) Centre, with A$20 million from the University of Adelaide, CSIRO, and the South Australian Government; Javen (Qinfeng) Shi became its Interim Director in February 2025.
Also in 2024, AIML began the Industrial AI Program, supported by A$12 million from the South Australian Government's Research and Innovation Fund. In 2026, AIML became an entity of Adelaide University following the merger between the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.
Research
AIML's research is published openly, and its members contributed 278 papers to international journals and conferences in 2023 alone. The institute has ranked third globally for publications at major computer vision conferences and has achieved first place in international leaderboards, including Cityscapes, Visual Question Answering (VQA), the Retinal Fundus Glaucoma (REFUGE) challenge, and Microsoft's Common Objects in Context (COCO) Captioning Challenge.
In 2022, AIML collaborated with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) on "Artificial intelligence: your questions answered," a series of short papers edited by Institute Manager Kathy Nicholson and Adam Slonim. In 2023, AIML worked with the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) on "Responsible AI: Your questions answered."
AIML investigates AI applications in healthcare, including ethical clinical implementation, biomarker discovery, and predictive models for disease diagnosis and treatment response. In 2025, Project CANAIRI (Collaboration for trANslational AI tRIals), led by Deputy Director Melissa McCradden, was established to test AI tools in real-world healthcare settings.
Education
AIML is part of the University of Adelaide's School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences. Postgraduate students can pursue research through the Master in Data Science, Master of AI & Machine Learning, Master of Philosophy, or Doctor of Philosophy programs. Undergraduate students engage with AIML academics through computer science and mathematical sciences courses. As of 2025, AIML hosts over 70 research students.
Recognition and awards
In 2024, Melissa McCradden received a five-year Hospital Research Foundation Fellowship in Paediatric AI Ethics. That year, AIML also received a A$48,500 Theo Murphy Initiative grant from the Australian Academy of Science for a symposium supporting emerging researchers in responsible AI. In 2025, AIML members and the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute received A$498,291 from Australia's Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite Grants for the IMAGENDO study, which uses AI to reduce diagnostic delays for endometriosis.
Several AIML members have received awards and scholarships for their contributions across various fields, reflecting the institute's broad impact.
See also
- University of Adelaide
- Lot Fourteen