Kirsten Urquhart
Kirsten Urquhart
CEO, Young Scot
Kirsten is a passionate advocate for young people, and drives the strategic vision of Young Scot, a leading youth charity in Scotland. Kirsten has spent her career to date working passionately to deliver services to young people and has a strong interest in digital/tech innovation, the effective use of data/insight and information seeking/retrieval behaviours in citizens.
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AI is already having a huge impact on the lives of young people – and the future impact will be even greater. With young people being the group who will experience the impacts of an AI-powered future most fully, their views on the technologies will shape and define what that means. I am also passionate about information literacy and access to quality assured services which will be largely driven by advancements, availability/accessibility, and affordability of AI technology.
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Community represents a connection of values, common interests, or shared experiences - both in the sense of a physical place-based connection, but also via communities of interest. AI presents a range of opportunities and challenges for communities - real and perceived. It offers communities opportunities for employment and new business development, improved access to public services, better-quality healthcare, and so much more.
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AI may also present challenges to communities including potential employment disruption as local markets evolve, along with the risk of enhanced digital exclusion due to lack of resources or connectivity in some Scottish communities meaning that not everyone will fully benefit from AI innovation. In addition, culture/behaviour change, and privacy/security concerns may also play a factor in community adoption and engagement.