Scottish AI Alliance
Impact Report
Making Scotland a leader in trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive AI.
Introduction
When it was published in 2021, Scotland’s AI strategy set out to position Scotland at the forefront of the AI discourse and put human rights at the centre of political decision-making in order to reap the social and economic benefits. The world was a very different place in 2021 – Chat-GPT hadn’t yet taken the public’s imagination by storm and artificial intelligence was nowhere near as ubiquitous – or controversial – as it is today.
With its human centric approach and the establishment of a team dedicated to its delivery – The Scottish AI Alliance – the Scottish AI strategy led the way in anticipating for an AI-enabled world. Today, in 2025, the strategy is more relevant than ever. To empower Scotland’s people and support its businesses and organisations, it is essential that the Scottish AI Alliance’s activities are targeted and considered with the strategy’s values engrained throughout.
In our fourth year the Scottish AI Alliance has hit a significant and defining milestone – our most impactful year to date. We’ve turned the vision and ambition of Scotland’s AI strategy into meaningful action by responding to a rapidly changing AI environment, from encouraging AI literacy in Scotland’s communities, to guiding ethical practices in business, and informing Scottish Government policy. The Alliance has succeeded in laying the foundation and developing the resources necessary for empowering the people and businesses of Scotland to adopt AI in an ethical, trustworthy, and inclusive way.
Through extensive engagement efforts we have identified gaps in the knowledge and resources of the AI ecosystem and, in an agile and successful way, updated our offering to better suit these needs. Through these activities we reached a significant portion of the Scottish population and helped them become more confident in their understanding of AI. This reach and impact, built up through our partnerships and thought leadership, places the Alliance at a crucial intersection between the Scottish Government, the people of Scotland, AI literacy, and the philosophical grounding of artificial intelligence. This report will be a whistle-stop tour through the Alliance’s activities and successes from April 2024 to March 2025 and our journey towards empowering people, supporting businesses and organisations, and shaping policy.
Empowering People
AI Literacy for All
We envision a Scotland where everybody can confidently question, challenge, and understand AI – not just use it.
AI literacy is not just important anymore, it’s crucial. For Scotland’s AI future to be trustworthy and inclusive it is critical that the people of Scotland understand what AI is, how it impacts their day to day lives, its potential and its problems. Upskilling the people of Scotland with the knowledge to engage constructively with the discourse around AI will lead to a well-informed and confident populace. It’s not just individuals who benefit, however. An empowered population will create successful, futureproofed businesses that will maintain Scotland’s position at the leading edge of innovation. There is a clear throughline between our AI literacy programmes to the strength and resilience of Scotland’s future economy.
One of the key factors that makes the Scottish AI Alliance unique is that we offer a non-commercial, balanced look at these points and provide trusted expert advice to those looking to increase their understanding of AI.
Living with AI AI explained simply.
No hype, just clarity.
Key Statistics
Over 1500
individual learners to date
17 partner organisations to date, including the Scottish Government, Glasgow School of Art, Borders College, West Lothian College, and the Scottish Library and Information Council
Partner organisation growth from 2 to 17 since March 2025
11,000 site visits
since 01 March 2025 relaunch
33% click through rate
on the LWAI website
34% completion rate
Living with AI is the Scottish AI Alliance’s flagship AI literacy programme and is the cornerstone of our ambition to make Scotland a hub of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI. 01 March 2025 saw the relaunch of the Living with AI online course, the focal point of our AI literacy programme, after its highly successful initial cohort of learners which concluded in May 2024. As the first public AI literacy of its kind in the UK on its initial launch in September 2023 (and one of only a handful globally), the last year has seen Living with AI build upon its initial successes, growing from a single online course offered directly to the public, to a multifaceted AI literacy programme offering both individual and organisational online learning, and an online library of resources on topics exploring the intersection of AI and climate change, children, and creativity to name just a few.
Living with AI takes a unique approach to discussing AI. With its ethics-based content and focus on the societal impact of AI, free from commercial influences and biases, Living with AI sets itself apart by not pushing a pro or anti AI agenda. It is consciously designed to be accessible and suitable for people with no prior knowledge or technical background, eschewing the hype and jargon that so often surrounds AI to provide the learner with thoughtful, engaging, and interactive ways to learn.
The impact of Living with AI is palpable. Firstly, a 34% completion rate almost three times the industry average of 12.6% – a testament to the engaging, relevant and accessible content which is central to the Living with AI learning experience shared by over 1,500 individual learners to date. Secondly, the Living with AI licencing programme, which offers Living with AI as a free course package hosted directly by partner organisations, has seen a dramatic uptake this year, with partner organisations growing from 2 to 17 since the relaunch of Living with AI in March 2025, with talks ongoing to roll out Living with AI to a further 6 organisations. Living with AI AI explained simply. No hype, just clarity. Key Statistics Over 1500 individual learners to date 17 partner organisations to date, including the Scottish Government, Glasgow School of Art, Borders College, West Lothian College, and the Scottish Library and Information Council Partner organisation growth from 2 to 17 since March 2025 11,000 site visits since 01 March 2025 relaunch 33% click through rate on the LWAI website 34% completion rate 6 organisations.
Organisations engaged in the Living with AI licensing programme include the Scottish Government, Scottish Library and Information Council, and Scotland’s largest college, City of Glasgow College. The steady stream of organisations expressing an interest in licensing Living with AI cover a wide cross section of the Scottish public sector – from universities to councils to environmental charities. The success of the licensing programme demonstrates the massive demand for ethics-focused AI literacy resources across Scotland’s public sector, third sector, and education sectors, a demand that Living with AI is confidently meeting.
The influence and reach of the programme are growing every day and the feedback from learners has been as enthusiastic as it is positive. The feedback, completion rates, and organisations’ interest are all testament to the course’s content and design – a result of the team’s diligent creative process.
The promotion of AI literacy has tangible benefits to every aspect of society – from individuals to organisations, businesses to communities. An empowered society is the bedrock of a resilient economy.
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I think this course is a must for anyone interested in AI. It explains each topic clearly and concisely.
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This should be available for everyone. We all need to understand what AI is, how it works, along with pros & cons of its use.
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What a great course. You have diverse experts talking about their work in an accessible manner and have introduced core themes allowing me to start asking questions and finding particular lines of thought to explore further.
Shaping the Future of AI Through Inclusion
We’re not broadcasting at the people of Scotland, we’re listening to them.
Key Statistics
508
people reached via 16 in-person sessions
303
people reached via 12 digital sessions
To realise Scotland’s ambitions the development of artificial intelligence must be a democratic movement, not a purely technological one. We employ the best practices of engagement and participation to ensure people remain at the heart of delivering Scotland’s AI strategy – a goal that is essential to enabling the public to participate in, critique, and benefit from AI. Through our engagement and participation work, we’ve supported people in Scotland to be better able to influence AI-related policies and decisions, when there’s political will to make that possible.
Community Advisory Group
The Scottish AI Alliance’s Community Advisory Group was established to play a key role in guiding our Engagement and Participation work. Spanning generations, experiences, regions, and opinions, what brings the Community Advisory Group together is a shared commitment to making AI trustworthy, ethical and inclusive for communities across Scotland.
People’s Panel on AI and Climate
In March 2025 we invited members of the public to discuss and debate the delicate balance between AI’s benefits and its impact on the environment. What followed was a fascinating day of sharing lived experiences and lively discussion – the very essence of positive and successful engagement. We also welcomed 24 students from the Glasgow School of Art to showcase their installations exploring the environmental impact of AI. This project is the result of deep, long-term engagement with the Glasgow School of Art students who have brought complex, abstract ideas to life in highly imaginative ways.
Exploring Children’s Rights and AI
This project an ongoing and extended period of deep engagement with the Children’s Parliament, The Alan Turing Institute, and Members of the Children’s Parliament from Shetland, Glasgow, Doune and Leith. With the goal of promoting a human rights and children’s rights approach to the understanding of artificial intelligence, Exploring Children’s Rights and AI has started to influence policies and decision making in the third sector. In 2024/2025 has seen the Children’s Parliament team, deliver three online session and 19 days of engagement of in-person work in six schools across five local authorities – working directly with 141 children in Scotland. They have also presented the project’s findings to over 600 adults at events and speaking engagements across the year. Our work with the Children’s Parliament & The Alan Turing Institute has continued, with Members of Children’s Parliament (MCPs) investigating what needs to happen for AI to play a role in keeping all children happy, healthy, and safe.
This year the MCPs delivered their Calls to Action on AI – aimed at adults who want to protect Children’s Rights in an age of AI technologies. You can read these in the appendix. In Summer 2025, we will be releasing two resources to help widen this work across Scotland:
• Children’s Rights Guide for AI Workers A resource dedicated to introducing people who work in AI to the ways in which their work may impact children’s rights.
• Learning Resources for Educators A suite of lesson plans, videos & activities aimed at supporting children to learn about AI through a children’s rights lens – including explainer videos on AI by children, for children.
We don’t want our outreach to be performative – we want our activities and decisions to embody the principles of codesign central engagement and participation best practice. Our commitment to these principles pays dividends, as can be seen from the testimonials of the people and organisations we have worked with.
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Working with the Scottish AI Alliance has been invaluable to the success of the project ‘Exploring Children’s Rights and AI’. Through our partnership, we have been able to introduce children’s human rights and our children’s rights approach to a wide range of individuals and organisations in the public, private and third sectors who we would have otherwise struggled to reach. Through joint planning with SAIA, we have also been able to approach our engagement work with children secure in the knowledge that our exploration of Artificial Intelligence is grounded in fact, that the technical explanations we have provided are accurate, and that the issues we have investigated relate to real-world application of the technology – both now and in a realistic future. The staff at the Scottish AI Alliance have been hands-on throughout, always happy to lend support with all areas of the work whilst respecting our organisation’s specific expertise.”
Gregory Metcalfe – Project Lead for National Programmes, Children’s Parliament.
“
Working with SAIA has had a really positive impact on our organisation. It has been fantastic to have their guidance and subject matter expertise as we develop our AI strategy and associated policies. On a personal level, developing a collaborative and supportive relationship with Calum has had a positive impact on me in my role as I lead a digital support service for the third sector. We share values in community engagement and creating inclusive conversations to support accessible learning. Their work is valuable to the third sectors understanding of a complex topic and our ability to explore innovation, without compromising our values.
Jane Mackinnon – Digital Support Officer, Community Enterprise
Enabling Businesses
Business Support Underpinned by Ethics
For when you want to adopt AI responsibly but don’t know where to start.
The hype around AI makes it easy to believe that every business is wholeheartedly adopting new technologies with grace and ease, but that isn’t quite the full picture. Many of Scotland’s businesses are SMEs that have little or no interaction with the world of artificial intelligence. It is vital that these businesses receive the support they need to ensure they do not fall behind or get bamboozled by hype.
Our goal is to furnish businesses with the knowledge and confidence to assess their needs, critically engage with the AI tools on the market, and make an informed decision about their plans to adopt – or not adopt – AI. We emphasise that in some cases not adopting AI is a perfectly valid business decision.
Scottish AI Playbook
We’re not broadcasting at the people of Scotland, we’re listening to them.
Key Statistics
23
resources from around the UK
16
partner organisations
6
workshops delivered
200
businesses engaged
11
speaking events with
500+
attendees
2024-2025 has been a transformative year for the Scottish AI Playbook. By defining the Playbook as a support hub for organisations embarking on their AI adoption journeys, we’re building on our commitment to enable the trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive adoption of AI around the country.
Throughout this year, the Scottish AI Alliance has embarked on a programme of business engagement to better understand the challenges, barriers, and gaps in support experienced by Scotland’s businesses and enterprise agencies. Following this process, the Scottish AI Playbook relaunched in October 2024 with a renewed and sharpened focus centred on providing guidance, resources, and tools for Scotland’s organisations to take their first steps towards responsible AI adoption with confidence.
Since the relaunch in October 2024, the Scottish AI Playbook has emerged as an indispensable source of knowledge and community for the Scottish business ecosystem. By offering insights into the strategic implementation of AI solutions, the Playbook aims to empower users at all levels, from policymakers to practitioners, ensuring they can navigate the evolving landscape of AI with confidence and clarity.
The Scottish AI Playbook programme supports, engages and enables businesses to adopt AI responsibly through a constellation of interconnected activities:
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The creation of a foundational playbook setting out Scotland’s priorities, ambitions, and approach to AI adoption serves as a comprehensive guide designed to support businesses in implementing AI in a trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive way. Since the launch of this foundational guide in October 2024, the standalone Scottish AI Playbook has been directly downloaded 642 times and has been utilised by organisations such as the NHS Knowledge Network as guidance for implementing AI.
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In order create a connected and supportive community for businesses and organisations to engage with AI adoption, the Scottish AI Playbook programme has delivered in person workshops, events, and launched the Scottish AI Playbook community, providing peer to peer networking and sharing opportunities.
AI Adoption Workshops – the delivery of six in-person workshops focused on trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive AI adoption, with over 200 business and organisations engaged.
The Scottish AI Playbook Online Community – an online community platform, facilitated by The Data Lab Community, were businesses and organisations can connect and share knowledge, before applying this knowledge to their own AI adoption operations. Launched in January 2024, the Scottish AI Playbook Online Community currently has 124 members from Scotland’s business community.
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To provide further guidance to Scotland’s businesses, the Scottish AI Playbook programme also saw the creation of further unique resources including:
AI Jargon Buster – a glossary of essential terms that clarify how AI is built and applied. This resource has been downloaded 228 times since its launch in October 2024 and has also been utilised by other organisations such as the NHS Knowledge Network to inform their organisational AI adoption activities.
Introducing AI: A Guide for Businesses and Organisations in Scotland – an introductory guide providing essential foundational knowledge about AI. This guide provides a basic overview of AI, its challenges and opportunities, culminating in a practical, step by step guide to AI adoption that has been downloaded 183 times since its launch in October 2024.
AI Maturity Framework – a structured roadmap of six stages for businesses to navigate their AI journey, from the first steps of discovery to full transformation and innovation. This resource is a unique contribution to the AI ecosystem, as the first publicly funded AI maturity framework with Scotland as its central focus.
AI Adoption Case Study Library – real examples of best practice AI adoption, showcasing success stories from across Scotland and the UK. Created as a direct response to requests for examples of best practice from our business engagement efforts, the Scottish AI Playbook case study library contains success stories from Scottish businesses such as Gigged.AI and Exception, to internationally recognised brands like the Financial Times.
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We don’t want to reinvent the wheel – we know that there is a tremendous amount of valuable subject matter expertise out there. That’s why we’ve taken a joined-up partnership approach to business support by curating a range of resources from credible partners across the AI ecosystem and beyond. This has resulted in:
A curated library of 23 resources spanning toolkits, guidance, frameworks, and training materials from 16 partners including the Alan Turing Institute, the Insitute of Science and Technology, the Information Commissioner’s Office, Jisc and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Focused Knowledge Hubs on AI procurement, governance and regulation, AI training and skills, and eople and culture, guiding businesses through essential AI adoption processes and information to create practical, actionable support through the crowded and sometimes confusing AI adoption landscape.
The Scottish AI Alliance’s impact on the business ecosystem is tangible. Our resources have become ubiquitous with trustworthy, ethical and inclusive applications of artificial intelligence and synonymous with the high-quality advice we endeavour to provide.
The Scottish AI Alliance’s impact on the business ecosystem is tangible. Our resources have become ubiquitous with trustworthy, ethical and inclusive applications of artificial intelligence and synonymous with the high-quality advice we endeavour to provide.
Impact doesn’t happen overnight. The Alliance has listened extensively to what Scotland’s businesses and organisations need to adopt AI in a trustworthy, ethical and inclusive way and used this insight to refocus, redevelop, and relaunch our programmes of work. What we have created is a robust and extensive runway for early and mid-stage AI adopters to futureproof their businesses and ensure they do things the right way.
Building Trust
Building Trust Through Transparency
Trust begins with transparency; transparency is fostered by leadership.
Empowering the public and supporting businesses will not achieve Scotland’s AI ambitions if the people involved do not have faith in the institutions underpinning these efforts. The Scottish Government is committed to the values outlined in Scotland’s AI strategy and is leading the way globally in fostering an environment of trust, transparency, and ethical leadership.
The Scottish AI Register
Scotland’s tool for public sector AI transparency.
Key Statistics
22
use cases
110
users
8,484 website visits
The Scottish AI Register provides information on the AI tools in use or in development within the Scottish public sector. It also provides a mechanism for members of the public to ask questions of the government and provide feedback on the tools featured – fostering trust by providing clear feedback loops. The register is an everevolving tool with ambitious plans to make Scotland a world leader in AI transparency.
Work is ongoing to develop the extended risk management function within the register governance module, including input from wider public sector organisations. The team is also continuing to transfer the existing recorded cases to the new governance version of the register – this will allow the full tracking and reporting of AI systems as they develop.
Key to this transparency being effective is awareness of the register itself. As well external promotion via the Scottish AI Alliance’s channels, there is ongoing promotion within the government’s intranet, learning platforms, and during staff events.
The adoption and mandating of a national AI registry further accentuate Scotland’s commitment to worldleading transparency. Not only does this benefit Scotland by improving trust in the use of AI in the public sector, but we also hope it will inspire others to follow suit.
The Scottish Public Sector AI Taskforce
Fostering trust through collaboration.
Key Statistics
220
members
Average of 55
participants per meeting
The Scottish Public Sector AI Task Force brings together the Scottish public sector to deliver better AI. Focused on ensuring joined up and efficient AI and data discussions across Scotland, the AI Task Force brings together representatives from all parts of the public sector in a spirit of open collaboration. People ask to join the task force to learn more about the AI landscape from a professional level, to represent their organisation, and to discuss specific use cases of AI currently in development.
The content of the task force meetings is published on the Scottish AI Alliance website where minutes, agendas and speakers are noted and made available to the public. To increase transparency even further, a summary of the discussions is also made available for members of the public to view. Topics often covered include innovation in education and healthcare, regulation and standards, data governance, and the digital economy.
These tangible actions represent the Scottish Government setting the standard for transparency in the UK and globally. Linking together the people of Scotland, its business ecosystem, and its government is central to the AI strategy and its ambitions.
Image: Who is AI Made Of Attribution:
Shady Sharify - 1, 2
Thought Leadership
Comms, PR and Events
Not just following the conversation, but leading it.
The Scottish AI Alliance’s profile has risen significantly over the past year. A combination of high-profile speaking slots, successful events across Scotland, and a robust digital strategy has placed the Alliance at the vanguard of the conversation around AI.
Our PR, digital and events activities have proven to be highly effective vehicles for demonstrating our impact on the AI ecosystem and beyond. Our reach is growing year on year, and our engagement metrics are higher than industry averages – from our social media to our newsletters. You can find detailed statistic in the appendices.
The Scottish AI Alliance is driving forward thinking, shaping discussions, and influencing positive change in the discussions around, and applications of, AI. Our thought leadership has positioned the Alliance as credible, trustworthy voices in a crowded marketplace.
Regional Summits
For the first time, this year the Scottish AI Alliance took its summit events on the road and outside of the Central Belt. The events proved to be highly successful and demonstrated a clear appetite for AIrelated events across Scotland, not just in the biggest cities. By expanding our circle of influence we’re increasing the reach and impact of our work to communities typically under-served in terms of AI discourse.
Through our events we strive to platform voices that are not heard often enough during AI-related discussions. We’re firmly committed to maintaining gender balances at all our events and we make a point of inviting a diverse array of people to participate, far beyond the familiar faces from the speaking circuit. We do not allow sales or product pitches at our events, and we don’t platform people in return for financial contributions. Our discussions are anchored in the Alliance’s core values of trust, ethics, and inclusivity
Scottish AI Summit Aberdeen – 20 Jun 2024
Healthcare and energy
62 tickets registered
Social media sentiment
“Spent a highly engaging afternoon at the Scottish AI Alliance’s AI Summit event in Aberdeen yesterday, where the topics of discussion serendipitously aligned with my own career experience across both the Energy and Healthcare sectors.”
Scottish AI Summit Dundee – 5 Sep 2024
Agriculture and the creative industries
107 tickets registered
60% of attendees felt more certain about AI and its impact on society after attending the summit
Social media sentiment
“Thank you, Scottish AI Alliance, for the invitation to speak at the Scottish AI Summit in Dundee today about #AISafety. It was such a great event.” “Scotland is well placed to lead the way on safe #AI”
Scottish AI Summit Glasgow – 11 Dec 2024
Sustainability and the Scottish space industry
200 tickets registered
50% of attendees felt more certain about AI and its impact on society after attending the summit
Social media sentiment
“… a fantastic opportunity to engage with AI experts on a range of critical topics, including AI ethics, sustainability, and the role of AI in the space sector… It is vital to think about how we ensure ethical, trustworthy, and inclusive AI deployment.” “It was a deeply inspiring experience. It reinforced the urgent need for collaboration to ensure AI is developed in ways that are trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive, particularly for society’s most vulnerable.”
Scottish AI Summit Inverness – 12 March 2025
Hospitality and tourism
138 tickets registered
Social media sentiment
“Brilliant to have the Scottish AI Alliance in the Highlands today for the first Inverness AI Summit.” “Really interesting discussions and panel sessions focusing on the risks and rewards of AI in some of the most important sectors in our region.” “A fabulous afternoon and my mind truly blown with the possibilities AI offers to streamline business.” “I had a great time at the Scottish AI Summit in Inverness yesterday. There were some very insightful presentations and lively panel discussions. It’s great to see how AI is already finding a home in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
Creativity and AI
We’re not broadcasting at the people of Scotland, we’re listening to them.
The creative industries have found themselves at the vanguard of the discussions around ethics and artificial intelligence. From copyright issues to whether generative AI is truly transformative, the explosion of gen AI in the public consciousness has sparked debate around the world. The Scottish AI Alliance is leading that debate in Scotland through its partnerships with artists and ambitious projects such as Creative Informatics.
The Creative AI Forum – 13 June 2024
Creative Informatics was one of nine creative clusters funded by the UK government to drive innovation, growth and sustainability in the creative industries. The Scottish AI Alliance partnered with Creative Informatics to present a showcase of work from artists working with AI technologies as part of their Creative AI Demonstrator project. In June 2024 the Creative AI Forum in Glasgow on the which showcased 7 of these projects – each one demonstrating how AI can be used in industry and providing insights and recommendations for the industry’s future. The event welcomed over 100 attendees and highlighted that Scotland remains at the leading edge of the creative applications of AI, especially when viewed through an ethical lens.
In June 2025 we will present an event titled ‘AI Can’t Write Symphonies and Neither Can You’, enabled by funding left over from the Creative Informatics project which concluded last year. The event will be a festival of creative AI which will explore the intersection between arts, ethics, and emerging technologies.
How to Find the Soul of a Sailor
In 2023 the Scottish AI Alliance collaborated with The New Real on a commission titled ‘Uncanny Machines’ – an exploration of the “inflection point of machines as human-made agents of change” through artistic practice.
After receiving dozens of exceptional submissions, one artist was selected for a full commission – Kasia Molga. Kasia’s ‘How to Find the Soul of a Sailor’ project interrogated her deceased father’s journals via multimodel generative processing to create a bilingual exhibition which explored themes of climate crisis and digital afterlives.
The much-anticipated exhibition opened at Inspace in Edinburgh on the 12th of December 2024.
Projects such as Creative Informatics and Kasia’s exhibition are vital to Scotland’s understanding of AI. By making the intangible tangible, artists and creative practitioners bring to life the ethical concerns underpinning the use of artificial intelligence – putting them in words and situations that are relatable to a non-technical audience. This plays the important role of making AI discourse accessible to all as well as promoting the responsible adoption of AI in the economy.
Leadership Perspectives
“
What a fantastic, creative and imaginative afternoon we had last Thursday at the Creative AI Forum. The projects presented by artists were so thoughtful, brilliantly mixing cutting-edge technologies with all kinds of disciplines... I just feel Scotland is extremely lucky to have Scottish AI Alliance working for a trustworthy, ethical and inclusive adaptation of AI.
Xabier I. Villares – The Worker’s Observatory
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This exhibition is a must-see for those interested in the intersections of art, technology, and the environment, offering a poignant reflection on the future of our planet and the boundless possibilities of human-AI collaboration.
Drew Hemment – Professor in Data, Arts and Society, Director of the New Real
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a deeply personal and innovative project that fuses the past, present, and future through the lens of artificial intelligence and memory.
Louise Hooper – attendee
Public Relations
Our announcements and opinions have been featured in national and international press, highlighting the far-reaching impact of our efforts. Not only does this drastically increase our reach, it also strengthens the Alliance’s reputation as being and influential thought leader in the realm of ethical, trustworthy and inclusive AI
Some highlights from the past year have been:
The People Making It Happen
Thought leadership requires leaders – this is where the Scottish AI Alliance team has stepped up. Every member of the team has spoken at or facilitated AI events in Scotland and around the world, spreading the values of the AI strategy and inspiring audiences to put ethics at the heart of their decision making – from Glasgow to London to Paris to Tokyo.
Fostering thought leadership is going to remain a crucial and impactful aspects of the Alliance’s activities. By leading conversations and guiding the discourse we’re ensuring that ethics remain at the forefront of the public’s – and decision maker’s – imaginations as the technologies continue to develop and evolve at a staggering pace.
Here are some testimonials from just a few of the events the Scottish AI Alliance team have supported:
The Future
2025/2026
We’re no longer preparing for an AI future, we’re building one.
From thousands of learners increasing their AI literacy to the government taking unprecedented steps towards AI transparency, the past year has shown that the Scottish AI Alliance’s activities aren’t just effective, they’re essential to building the future of AI that Scotland aspires to.
In 2025-2026 we hope to deliver a future People’s Panel on the use of AI in Health & Care as well as a regional summit in Dumfries catering to Scotland’s rural economy. The AI Playbook team will be hosting virtual and in-person events across the central belt for Scotland’s businesses and publishing regular webinars and podcasts. We’ll also be bringing the Creative Informatics project to a close with our event ‘AI Can’t Write Symphonies and Neither Can You’ on the 27th and 28th of June in Glasgow
Image: Ground Up and Spat Out Attribution: Janet Turra & Cambridge Diversity Fund, 1, 2
The Living with AI programme is set to grow even further. Since licensing the course to colleges last year and launching a refreshed version in February 2025, we’ve seen a steady rise in interest from organisations across the public and third sectors, including from the higher education sector and beyond. What’s particularly encouraging is that this demand has come mainly through word of mouth rather than our usual marketing channels. While our outreach has focused on individual learners, organisations are recognising the value of the course and are keen to offer it to their staff – a strong signal of its relevance and impact across different sectors.
We’ve also been approached by private sector organisations interested in using Living with AI as part of their internal training. In response, we’re planning a pilot supported launch tailored for the private sector. This will offer access to the course alongside facilitated training designed to build employee confidence and support the responsible adoption of AI. This pilot will allow us to explore how the programme can meet the specific needs of industry, while continuing to promote informed and ethical use of AI in the workplace.
In response to feedback from organisations, we’ve also identified a clear need for shorter, just-in-time learning that can keep pace with the fast-moving AI landscape. To meet this need, we’re developing a suite of microcourses designed to be agile, easily maintained, and highly relevant. These will combine core foundational training with optional, context-specific modules that address key issues for different roles, sectors and industries. This flexible approach will allow learners to engage with content that’s directly applicable to their work, supporting confident and responsible use of AI across a wide range of settings.
2024-2025 has been a year of listening, refocusing, and laying the foundations required for an impactful future that best serves the interests of Scotland’s people and organisations, We will continue to empower people, support businesses and organisations, and shape policy – anchored always in our values of trust, ethics, and inclusion. The world of AI is not slowing down or becoming any simpler to navigate, which makes the Scottish AI Alliance’s work more vital than ever.