He studied Psychology and Philosophy at Oxford University, then took an MSc and Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence at Edinburgh University. Ali has worked in AI for 25 years, focussing on models of natural language processing, human-computer dialogue and neural models of language and memory; he has published over 100 papers on these topics. He also works for the Auckland-based AI startup Soul Machines, where he is implementing the embodied model of language developed in his book Sensorimotor Cognition and Natural Language Syntax (MIT Press, 2012). He is co-convenor of the AI and Society discussion group at Otago, and co-investigator in the AI and Law in New Zealand project.