• East of England
• Artificial Intelligence
• Innovation

Written by Eleanor Crouch, Digital Leaders

AI has potential, immediate and future impacts on society. From self-driving cars that, in the moments before an impending accident, decide who lives and dies, to medical bots that help extend human life via machine learning Digital Leaders week set out to run a series of events that highlighted rapidly accelerating breakthroughs in AI and the ethical challenges that its practical applications face us with.

There is also the question of jobs and fewer people being needed in every organisation, but AI also brings opportunities for new products and services. To tap into the opportunities, we need skills combined with better business ecosystems that nurture innovation and technological advancement.

Digital Leaders Week included three discussions on Artificial Intelligence. These events took place in London, Yorkshire, and the East of England. The highlight of the week was the Annual Lecture in Leeds given by Rob Wilmot.

The Annual Lecture took place in the stunning Salem Chapel in Leeds, with a presentation from Rob Wilmot, followed by a panel discussion. The panel included Chair Tom Riordan, CEO of Leeds City Council; Sarah Burnett, Vice President of Research at Everest Group; Chris Williams, Technical Leader IBM Watson Group, and Professor David Hogg, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Leeds. The panel shared their thoughts on the opportunities and and threats AI brings our lives and modern society.

In London we also heard from Capita representatives including Stewart Davison, Head of Business Development for Housing; Alex Brennan, Product Manager, Digital Solutions and Dave Kearns, Technical Solutions Manager, Digital Solutions. The speakers discussed the use of Chatbots in the Public Sector, offering practical advice on what to consider and best support for the user journey. Read Stewart Davison’s blog about the event here.

Capita also hosted a day of interactive workshops for ‘the next generation of digital leaders’ in Wiltshire. Designers, developers and staff from Capita worked with primary school children to explore the impact of digital technology, highlighting the extent to which digital surrounds everything we do and how AI delivers information individuals need in innovative and user-friendly ways. Read Tom Osborne’s recap of the event here.

In Cambridge we heard from lead discussants Nigel Lomas, Business Development Director at Arcus Global, and Kat Sexton, Digital Services Architect at LGSS (DL100 finalist) on Artificial Intelligence in the public sector. Speakers discussed how AI helps improve customer experience and user needs, and the ways services are delivered in the public sector and the workplace.

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