Explore cutting-edge ideas DataFest champions Scotland as a hub for data and AI excellence. It’s a space to celebrate innovation, share ideas, and explore the future together. Entering its ninth year, DataFest 2026 will run under the theme “Intelligent Futures”. We’ll explore how data and AI are transforming the systems, industries, and societies of tomorrow. […]
Community & Events
£500 up for grabs in data viz competition exploring climate action
The Data Lab Community’s Data Visualisation Competition returns for 2025. Data viz enthusiasts are encouraged to participate in the 2025 The Data Lab Community‘s competition. Tell the story of the hidden benefits of climate action to our health, community and beyond. Whether you are a seasoned data viz pro or just getting started, this competition […]
From Data to Diagnosis: How AI Is Revolutionising Healthcare
Healthcare systems are facing unprecedented pressures, with demand outpacing resources and services struggling to keep up. In Scotland alone, Public Health Scotland estimates that the NHS could be managing around 1,300 additional unplanned hospital admissions every week, largely driven by an ageing population. Cancer treatment waiting times are now the worst on record, with a third of patients with […]
From Data to Decisions: Building Trustworthy AI in Financial Services
In this guest blog, we’re pleased to welcome insights from David Bull, Senior Consultant at Talan. With over 15 years of experience across Retail, Commercial, and Investment Banking, as well as industries including Transport and Renewable Energy, David has led projects spanning data analytics, regulatory change, and remediation. Drawing on his expertise in data governance […]
Beyond the AI Hype: Scaling Financial Intelligence That Delivers
In this guest blog, we’re pleased to welcome insights from Simon Axon, Global Financial Services Strategist at Teradata. Simon explores the challenges financial institutions face in scaling AI beyond proof-of-concept. He examines how banks can move from traditional data management to real-time, signal-oriented AI applications that support fraud prevention, personalisation, risk management, and regulatory compliance. […]
Smart, Sustainable and Safe: How Data & AI Are Transforming Housing
Across the UK, the housing sector stands at the crossroads of three urgent challenges: decarbonisation, demographic change, and deteriorating infrastructure. Meeting these demands requires more than traditional approaches – it calls for smarter, data-driven solutions. From improving energy efficiency and supporting healthy ageing to delivering faster, predictive repairs, data and AI are reshaping what homes […]
Data, AI, and the Climate Crisis: Powering Sustainable Change Responsibly
Data and AI are unlocking powerful tools to fight the climate crisis—helping organisations use energy smarter, grow food more sustainably, and cut emissions. But, with rising environmental costs and risks of deepening inequality, responsible innovation is essential. Read on to explore how these technologies are being harnessed for real, lasting impact. From record-breaking droughts to […]
Mapping the Future: The Role of Geospatial Data in Scotland’s Tech Ecosystem
Geospatial data is becoming an invisible yet vital part of our daily lives, shaping how we navigate cities, manage properties, and tackle everything from climate change to urban planning. At its core, geospatial data is information connected to a place, whether tracking how many people move through a city, mapping whether flooding might happen, or […]
Forefront of AI innovations explored at DataFest
The Data Lab’s annual conference discussed how data and AI will transform business and society as a whole. 500 delegates at Scotland’s leading data and AI event, DataFest, heard yesterday how data and AI have the power to unlock a brighter future and tackle global challenges such as climate change – but only if it’s […]
Full programme announced for DataFest25
Scotland’s premier data and AI conference, DataFest 2025, is pleased to announce its full events programme, including a pre-conference focused on skills development in the everchanging data and AI landscape. Hosted by Scotland’s Innovation Centre for data and AI, The Data Lab, DataFest will bring together Scotland’s thriving data and AI community at the Assembly […]