Meet Morgan Burke

Morgan Burke grew up in South Wales with a fascination for how computers and video games worked. “I’ve been playing video games and using computers since I was like six years old,” he says. “The non-playable characters and the AI… That’s always fascinated me, how they navigate worlds.” That early curiosity stayed with him, and today he’s in his final year of a BSc in Applied Software Engineering at Cardiff University—a course built around programming, teamwork, and applied problem-solving rather than pure theory. “It suits me really well,” he adds, “because I like seeing technology in action, not just in textbooks.”

Although Morgan had long been drawn to AI, he admits that before university he had practically no knowledge of it. Even his degree didn’t cover it in depth, so he explored independently. His big turning point came when he discovered Formula Student AI, a competition focused on autonomous racing. Around the same time, he learned about IBM SkillsBuild and IBM Granite. “I realized how active and relevant IBM is today, so it was a surprise to see their role in AI,” Morgan says. This opened the door to combining learning with a hands-on, competitive project.

Through IBM SkillsBuild, Morgan deepened both his technical knowledge and perspective on AI. “There’s a course on there called Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals which helped deepen my knowledge of using AI. But also brought in other things, like AI ethics and responsible development, which I’d heard but never properly researched or considered before,” he explains. He also took workplace skills courses that emphasized teamwork, agile methodology, and communication—skills immediately put to use as the leader of Cardiff Autonomous Racing (CAR). “Those were all transferable skills that were really valuable to sort of reinforce and further when founding the racing team,” Morgan notes. A course on IBM Granite taught him how to interact with AI effectively. “It was pretty in-depth and taught you how to use Granite properly and make the most of it,” he says.

Morgan’s team uses IBM Granite in every aspect of the project. “We use Granite in a few ways. We use it technically, for development in our software development lifecycle, we use it for organizational stuff like the logistics of getting to competitions, and it can give us a quick summary of expenses estimates,” he explains. “Finally, we use it for our business team at competitions, giving ideas for funding pitches and presentations.” He describes their use of Granite as “almost like an advisory role. It doesn’t replace us as engineers, but it points out something we’ve done wrong or gives us a suggestion, which is really valuable.”

Starting CAR from scratch was a major challenge. “I was originally interested in the university’s physical car-building team, but my skills weren’t really transferable… I don’t know how to build an engine,” he says. So, he pitched the idea of a student AI racing team. “I went to the School of Computer Science by myself and essentially said, ‘There could be something really cool here. We should do this.’ They really enjoyed it, gave us funding, and green-lit the project.” Morgan recruited around 30 members, with roughly 20 becoming dedicated team participants.

The challenges CAR tackled at Silverstone—perception, path planning, control systems, risk assessment—mirror the complexity of real-world industries. “The challenges we’re solving directly mirror the complex demands of modern industries, from logistics to smart cities,” he says. Beyond technical skills, the team even presented a mock investment proposal, demonstrating “not just our technical prowess but also a strong grasp of market dynamics and commercial viability.” For Morgan, this was a highlight of their first year. “We brought about eleven or twelve people to the Silverstone Race Circuit in the UK to actually compete for four or five days. That was amazing. We made great connections with other students doing the same competition. We made great connections with companies that had stalls there looking for talent, and we also met up with John McNamara from IBM. We had a chat with him, he had a look around, and meeting a sponsor face to face was quite impressive. I really enjoyed making the connections and being there, surrounded by that environment.”

Looking ahead, Morgan wants to grow CAR and reach new heights. “Next year, we want to expand membership by maybe 10 more people, bring 20 to 25 students to Silverstone, and our big goal is a top ten finish within the competition,” he says. Longer term, he hopes to pursue a master’s in business administration and move into a leadership role after gaining industry experience as a software engineer. He sees CAR as contributing to the next generation of autonomous vehicle engineers, and believes the implementation of autonomous vehicles “could save thousands of lives and prevent thousands of incidents caused by human drivers.” He also believes CAR can help demystify public perception of autonomous vehicles—an important consideration the team is committed to exploring and working toward.

For students looking to get started in AI, Morgan’s advice is clear: “I think in terms of getting the basics, I’d have to point towards IBM SkillsBuild… that’s just a good way to sort of get started and get you in the headspace to learn about AI. Beyond that, just start: watch videos, read papers, have a go at something in a development environment.” He adds, “AI should be used as an advisor, not a replacement. It helps us work smarter but still relies on human creativity and decision-making.” Morgan’s journey shows that with the right mentorship, tools, and persistence, students can not only learn AI but also apply it to projects like Cardiff Autonomous Racing (CAR) that inspire others and make a tangible impact.