On Friday the 20th March, the Scottish Government hosted an event at the Edinburgh Futures Institute to launch Scotland’s new AI Strategy.
Supported by The Data Lab and Quantum Communications, the event brought together over 180 members of the thriving Scottish AI ecosystem, including universities and colleges, as well as many key decision-makers from Scottish business and the public sector.
The event also marks the launch of AI Scotland, a new national programme for AI growth, delivered by a partnership between business, academia, and the public sector.
Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes MSP and Minister for Business, Richard Lochhead MSP, attended the launch event for their final public appearances before stepping down at the next election.
Delegates also heard from diverse perspectives, including SMEs, academia and the public sector, to explore how the responsible adoption and deployment of AI can drive growth across Scotland in a panel session chaired by Gillian Docherty CBE, Chief Commercial Officer at the University of Strathclyde.
Meanwhile, Nicola Anderson, Director of Scaling Innovation at Scottish Enterprise, chaired a panel discussion on data and AI infrastructure, discussing the opportunities, from Scotland’s renewable energy resources and cool climate, to the challenges, such as rising energy costs.
Scotland’s new AI Strategy
Scotland’s new AI Strategy sets out a five-year plan to ensure people, businesses and public services across the country benefit from AI.
Independent analysis estimates the AI sector could be worth £23 billion to the Scottish economy by 2035 and the Strategy details increased support for businesses to expand the use of AI to develop new products and services, grow market share and generate new jobs and investment.
Initiatives planned in the first year include:
- establishing an independent expert advisory board to provide strategic guidance on the strategy’s delivery
- appointing AI Champions to represent priority sectors and regions
- rolling out an expanded AI adoption programme for businesses to help drive productivity and competitiveness across the economy
- creating a Future Jobs Panel to assess AI’s impact on the workforce and establishing an AI Leadership Academy
Launching the Strategy at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said:
“The unprecedented pace at which AI is increasing and evolving presents an enormous opportunity. It has the potential to be genuinely transformative – for every sector of our economy, and for people from all backgrounds and communities.
“This strategy sets out a clear plan to harness the economic and social benefits of AI responsibly with practical, tangible steps to be taken this year to help ensure we translate our innovation and expertise into more businesses, jobs and investment.
“In establishing AI Scotland we will use the expertise of our enterprise agencies, The Data Lab and other partners to lead an accelerated, co-ordinated approach to ensure Scotland’s economy and society reaps the rewards of this incredible technology.”