Foreword

Gillian Docherty OBE, Chief Commercial Officer at the University of Strathclyde, Chair of the Scottish AI Alliance

 
 
A short haired blonde woman smiles and poses for the camera. She is leaning against a metal banister. She is wearing a blue check shirt with pink inside collar and navy blue blazer.
 
 

Welcome to Scotland’s first-ever ‘State of AI’ report.  

As an enthusiastic champion for the power of data and AI, I was delighted to be appointed the first Chair of the Scottish AI Alliance. I have relished the opportunity to lead and drive forward the delivery of Scotland’s AI Strategy.  

The Strategy sets a clear and inspiring vision and direction of travel. However, this can only be achieved in full by taking an inclusive approach that brings people together on the journey.  

In the Alliance, I am pleased that we have brought together such a collaborative, enthusiastic and positive group, all working together to realise our vision, in line with our principles, and setting the bar for our practices. 

We are already helping Scotland to realise the exciting potential of AI, and to unlock economic, social and environmental value. We have achieved much to be proud of, and there is more in the pipeline.   

Much of this has been driven by the Scottish AI Alliance, which has done a sterling job in coming together to build the momentum that will help us move forward.  

We have also learnt a great deal, rethinking our plans in light of feedback and wider developments. As the Strategy notes, AI is evolving constantly, meaning that our approach must be agile and responsive.  

I very much welcome our achievements to date. We have made a great start in delivering the exciting actions set out the Strategy, and I look forward to our further progress.  

I hope our successes so far will inspire you to join us.