Phil Anthony to leave University of Kent after leading AI and digital learning work
Dr. Phil Anthony says Thursday will be his final day at Kent, following work on practical AI training, student guidance and digitally enhanced education.
Dr. Phil Anthony says he will leave the University of Kent on Thursday
Dr. Phil Anthony, Head of AI at the University of Kent, has announced he will leave the institution on Thursday, marking a change in Kent’s AI and digital learning leadership as the university develops its AI@Kent work.
Anthony confirmed the departure in a LinkedIn post this week. He used the post to thank colleagues at Kent and across the wider higher education community, rather than announce his next role.
Anthony joined the University of Kent in 2018 after previously working at Canterbury Christ Church University as a university instructor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Science. His Kent profile says he led the university’s E-Learning Team and was responsible for supporting and developing the use of technology in learning and teaching.
Anthony confirms Kent departure
Anthony confirmed the move on LinkedIn, setting out his final day and thanking colleagues: “This Thursday I'll be saying goodbye to the University of Kent. Before I do, I just wanted to say thank you.”
The post framed the departure around his time at Kent and the wider higher education community. Anthony said he had been “incredibly lucky to work with some fantastic colleagues over the years,” adding that he had “learned a huge amount from so many people.”
He also named Georgina Randsley de Moura, Claire Peppiatt-Wildman and Glynn Thomas, thanking them for their “support, encouragement, and for the trust” they had placed in him.
Anthony closed the post by thanking colleagues across the university: “To everyone I've worked with, thank you. It's been a pleasure working alongside you.”
He added: “Thank you, Kent, for the opportunities you've given me. It's been a privilege.”
Anthony’s departure comes after Kent advertised for an AI Training Specialist in March to support the university’s AI@Kent initiative.
The role was designed to help staff develop practical confidence with generative AI tools across teaching, research and professional practice. Anthony said at the time that Kent was recruiting someone to focus on “designing and delivering practical training to help staff develop the knowledge and confidence needed to use AI effectively in their work.”
He also linked the post to Kent’s wider approach to institutional AI adoption: “At Kent, we’re thinking carefully about how AI is introduced, so that it supports teaching, research and professional practice rather than simply becoming another piece of technology.”
Digital learning work at Kent
In an interview published by the University of Kent in April, Anthony described technology as something that is now shaping student learning, rather than simply supporting it. Students, he said, are “learning on demand, revisiting recorded lectures, using digital tools to quiz themselves, and turning to AI for feedback or inspiration.”
He argued that the value of AI depends on how universities respond to it. Used well, Anthony said, AI can support students with learning blocks, feedback and confidence, particularly when it is designed into learning rather than treated as a shortcut.
His preferred framing was “additional intelligence” rather than artificial intelligence: “a support layer that helps students build on their own thinking, not replace it.”
Anthony also described Kent’s stance on student AI use as “a balanced and transparent approach,” with students expected to understand when AI use is permitted, use tools ethically and be honest about what they have used.
