Leading UK names in artificial intelligence will address an 800-strong audience this month when the Liverpool City Region AI Summit returns for its second year. Tony McDonough reports
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a fast-growing phenomenon across all sectors of business and leading names in the field will gather in Liverpool for a major event this week.
Liverpool City Region AI Summit will return for the second year in a row on Thursday, October 23. Taking place at ACC Liverpool on the waterfront, the event will welcome 800 delegates as well as expert speakers from industry and academia.
Spanning four stages the summit will hear stories from scientists harnessing AI to transform society and individuals’ lives.
Heading the list of keynote speakers are Oxford University Professor Michael Wooldridge, presenter of the televised Royal Institution Christmas Lectures about AI in 2023.
He will be joined by Mike Bracken, founder and former executive director of the UK Government Digital Service (GDS) and the UK’s first Government chief data officer.
Representatives from Europe, Australia and the US will add an international feel to the summit – in a year that’s seen the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, Kyndryl, set up a major AI base in Liverpool.
Business and tech experts have been warning the UK is in danger of being left behind as the use of AI crowns exponentially across the globe. However, the Government at last now appears to be taking AI seriously.
In her Spending Review in early June, Chancellor Rachel Reeves allocated an extra £2bn to the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan. This will be allocated in a variety of ways.
In Liverpool SME loan and equity specialist, River Capital, is ahead of the curve. In 2022 it launched fund:AI, offering investments of between £500,000 and £2m to start-up and early-stage, high growth ventures working in AI, machine learning and data science.
In June David Walters, investment director at River Capital, told LBN: “It wasn’t that long ago that we would talk about digital and non-digital businesses. That mindset is now out of date.
“There are hardly any businesses now, from sole traders to multinationals, who don’t use digital technology in one form or another.
“Back in 2022 we saw the discussion around AI going in the same direction. At the moment a lot of people are still unsure about what it is and what it could mean for their businesses and their daily lives.
“But expect that to change rapidly as AI and digital innovation starts to play a role in many aspects of our lives. Change is coming and it is coming quickly.”
Hosted by BBC presenter Jo Coburn with support from AI-powered avatars, the event will hear from Liverpool city region’s newly appointed chief AI officer – a Combined Authority first – and will feature exhibitions from UK’s AI developments.
It will also host 200 students from across the city region and hear from children and young people who will be attending a special Youth AI Summit at The Spine in Knowledge Quarter Liverpool on October 20.
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “AI is already changing the way we live and work – but here in Liverpool city region, we’re showing how it can be a force for good.
“From tackling deadly diseases, to transforming how our kids learn in school, our area is proving that AI can make a real difference to people’s lives.
“We’ve got the talent, the world-class facilities, and the ambition to make Liverpool city region the UK’s home of ethical, inclusive AI. This summit is another big step on that journey.”
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Home to AI assets including the UK’s most powerful supercomputer dedicated to industrial research and PsiQuantum’s only European base, the city region is at the forefront of AI innovation.
Delivered in partnership with techUK, the summit will spotlight groundbreaking projects, while highlighting how AI can drive economic growth and addressing critical topics such as AI ethics, the law, and the environment.
Headline event sponsor, the University of Liverpool, along with supporting sponsors Liverpool John Moores University and ITS, will join global tech giants including Kyndryl at the event to discuss the future of AI.