Clive Dickens Launches Meliora: A new AI advisory firm aiming to shape the future

“If we disconnect radio from that shared experience in human connection, then we will regret it for a generation or more. The real question is how can you use AI to actually further connect with people.”

The world of artificial intelligence is moving at breakneck speed, and for Clive Dickens—a veteran of digital innovation across radio, television, and telecommunications—this is nothing short of a new industrial revolution.

Dickens is channelling his decades of experience into Meliora, a newly launched AI-focused strategic advisory company with a mission to help businesses harness AI for positive, profitable, and human-centric outcomes.

The Genesis of Meliora

After a career that has seen him lead digital transformation at Absolute Radio, Southern Cross Austereo, Seven West Media, and Optus, Dickens believes the time is ripe for a new kind of consultancy. “We have to shape the sort of AI that we want. It’s about humans and machine intelligence coming together,” says Dickens. “AI can make a better humanity, a better planet, and better business outcomes—but you really have to get in there and shape it.”

Meliora, Latin for “the pursuit of better,” is built on this philosophy. The company launches with a founding team of nine seasoned professionals spanning Sydney, London, and Los Angeles, and aims to be more than just another consultancy. “The world doesn’t need more consultants,” Dickens says. “It needs a catalyst, a change agent, and a growth partner that diagnoses what’s broken and dares to rebuild it.”

Three Pillars for a New Era

Meliora’s offering is structured around three core pillars:

1. Meliora Advisory:
   Strategy and product development services that blend human-centered design, generative AI expertise, and deep technical engineering. The focus is on starting with the customer and ending with tangible results.
2. Meliora Ventures:
   An incubator and investor in early-stage, CTO-led startups. The team leverages its track record in spotting and scaling future-fit software businesses, with 11 initial investments already announced—including influencer marketing platform Tribe, fintech GXE, and edtech platform Edrolo.
3. Meliora Creative:
   A commitment to nurturing creative talent across industries, supporting artists and creators in telling human stories that shift culture and scale their impact.

The Human-AI Sweet Spot

Dickens is adamant that the future of AI is not about replacement, but enhancement. “There’s a sweet spot between human intelligence and artificial intelligence,” he told Radio Today’s Steve Ahern. “Some people want to ignore AI, others fear it will take over the world. The reality is in the middle: AI can make our tools more effective if we combine them with human intelligence.”

He draws a parallel to the smartphone revolution of 2007, noting that the current wave of AI innovation is “orders of magnitude more important to humanity.” Since the public release of ChatGPT in late 2022, the pace of change has accelerated, with new large language models and AI tools emerging almost weekly.

Yet, Dickens cautions against the proliferation of “poor AI content”—articles and stories generated solely to cut costs, often at the expense of quality and human connection. “That’s not the solution,” he says. “The solution will be found in using these amazing tools to enhance what we’re doing, to make better programs, better content, better articles.”

Predictions and Challenges Ahead

Looking ahead, Dickens predicts that the media and technology sectors will see an explosion of AI-enabled content creation, but insists that transparency and human oversight are essential. “We have to decide how much of our content is going to be produced by AI only, and how much will be enhanced by AI,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with having AI in our workflow, but you’ve got to be very transparent about it.”

He also warns against losing sight of the unique value of human connection, particularly in media. “If we disconnect audio and digital and radio from that shared experience in human connection, then we will regret it for a generation or more,” Dickens says. “The real question is how can you use AI to actually further connect with people.”

Investing in the Future

Meliora’s venture arm is already backing a diverse portfolio of startups, from influencer marketing to fintech and edtech. Notably, Dickens was an early backer of Jules Lund’s Tribe, now a global platform enabling creators to monetize their work. “It’s a great combination of human creative and technology,” he says, underscoring Meliora’s commitment to businesses that blend human ingenuity with AI.

The company is looking to invest in early stage start-ups, not just with capital, but also wiht strategic expertise and advice.

Building a Global Team

With bases in Sydney, London, and Los Angeles, Meliora’s team brings together expertise from digital video, audio, telecommunications, and ecommerce. The founding associates include Vijay Solanki, Brendan Collogan, Celia Wallace, and Ricky Sutton in Sydney; Clare Baker and Amy McClelland in London; Tony Moorey in Spain; Anthony Abbott in Athens; and Mike McMahon in Colorado.

Relentless Optimism in a Complex Landscape

While Dickens acknowledges the risks of misinformation and manipulation in the AI era, he remains optimistic. “One of our three values is relentless optimism—it’s not blind optimism, but a belief in the positive role technology can play,” he says. “We all shape the future. I want to make a better world for my kids… we are determined to be the change we want to see.”

As Meliora sets out to help businesses navigate the fast-evolving AI landscape, Dickens and his team are betting that the best outcomes will come from a fusion of human creativity and machine intelligence—a partnership that, if shaped wisely, could define the next era of innovation.

Contact Meliora at https://www.meliora.company/contact