Scotland is open for business as a world-leading destination for
developing ethical artificial intelligence (AI), Innovation
Minister has told investors and
senior industry figures.
Hosting the CogX fringe event at Scotland House London, the
Minister highlighted the supportive environment being developed
to foster the industry. This includes £24 million Scottish
Government strategic investment in The Data Lab, a dedicated
Innovation Centre for Data and AI and home of the Scottish AI
Alliance.
Mr Lochhead also officially opened the University of Glasgow’s
new Centre for Data Science and AI earlier this week.
He said:
“We are working to make Scotland a world leader in the
development and use of artificial intelligence in a way which is
trustworthy, ethical and inclusive. We are, first and foremost, a
land of invention, a pioneer in technology and an ideal place to
invest and grow an AI business.
“Scotland gets AI. Our universities’ AI research and teaching has
been ranked as world-class since the early formation of the
sector, while Edinburgh was recently ranked the UK’s most “AI
ready” city in the UK.
“Scotland is an outward-looking nation and is open for business.
While rising to the challenges of this rapidly-evolving
technology, we are also embracing the unprecedented economic
opportunity it presents - just as we did for previous scientific
and industrial revolutions.”
Background
The Scottish Government recently invested a further £59 million
in CivTech, a research and development scheme involving the
public sector and innovative businesses. The National Robotarium,
home to world-leading experts in robotics and AI, has received
£1.4 million Scottish Government support.
