YEAR 3 AND BEYOND

Tom Wilkinson, Chief Data Officer, Scottish Government

As the Scottish Government’s new Chief Data Officer, I am delighted to look back at the Scottish AI Alliance’s achievements over the past two years outlined in this State of AI Report. 

The field of AI has moved considerably during that time, in terms of technology, policy, and how it relates to all of us. I believe that the core values of Trust, Ethics and Inclusiveness at the core of our strategy are if anything even more relevant that they were two years ago and will be the make or break of AI. So I do not think it is time for a change of course. Still, the actions from the 2021 strategy do need to be updated and focused even more sharply on where the Scottish AI Alliance can make a difference. Over the coming weeks, the SAIA team and Leadership Group will lead this process, which will be light touch. The refreshed actions will be published in a lightweight format. 

In parallel, the Leadership Group has initiated a longer-term process to design the next iteration of the Alliance to increase our total impact as a true Team Scotland. As we announced two years ago, the Alliance will evolve. We are considering how we can strengthen our partnerships with organisations across the Scottish AI ecosystem to prioritise and solve collaboratively shared challenges. We are also considering what a sustainable operating model looks like in the long term. This process is informed by the lessons we have learned so far and conversations with like-minded organisations in other countries, continuing our commitment to be agile and learn from the best. This process will also be open, as with all our work, and we welcome everyone’s views on how we can improve, so please get in touch if you would like to contribute – and we will also reach out. 

Government has an important responsibility and role to play in ensuring that AI benefits the many and not the few. But it’s up to each and every one of us to make AI a force for good – to bring our human values and creativity as makers of AI, users of AI, and citizens. I hope you will join us on this exciting journey.