Dr. Phoenix Perry researches embodied interaction, small-data machine learning, data commons, and the ways people develop cognitive models to understand AI systems. As a Reader at UAL, they develop tools and practices that enable more accessible, context-aware, and inclusive approaches to engaging with computation. Through their open-source projects, such as InteractML, they support artists and designers to create embodied machine learning interactions in game engines. Their creative work centers on developing experiences that amplify somatic experiences in groups to propose new ways of sensing and inner connecting audiences.
Perry co-created InteractML with Prof. Fiebrink, an open-source interactive machine learning tool for Unity and Unreal, which has over 60,000 users on the Epic Marketplace. They also founded the Code Liberation Foundation, teaching more than 6,000 women to program computational creative work for free since 2012. As Research Lead for the UKRI AHRC Braid-funded project (starting Spring 2026), Perry is developing a federated data commons for creative communities, allowing groups to build and govern their own small-scale datasets for local model training. As Research Co-Lead on the UKRI-funded RAI project (2024–2025), they explored algorithmic bias in generative AI music with marginalized communities and produced policy guidance for the UK Government. Their doctoral thesis, Ctrl Shift, established a framework for Crip Game Design focused on equity and disability-led design. As Co-Investigator on the EPSRC-funded 4i project, they helped independent developers and artists design movement-based interactions for immersive media, including VR, AR, and MR.
Perry developed the MSc and BSc in Creative Computing at CCI and has previously held positions at Goldsmiths, HKU Netherlands, and NYU. They founded Dozen Eyes Games, which partnered with the US State Department. Perry holds an MS from NYU Tandon, and their work has been featured at GDC, Comic Con, Lincoln Centre, and Transmediale. She has spoken at over 60+ venues worldwide.
