A White Paper has been published today outlining how Cumbria could become the centre of applied AI in the UK.
The authors believe that with the county’s expertise in advanced manufacturing, defence and nuclear decommissioning and experience of operating in complex industry environments, it is the ideal location for testing and implementing AI.
AI in Cumbria: Building a National Centre of Excellence for Applied AI was launched at a summit in Penrith by Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster (BECBC).
“We are taking a place-based approach to AI that plays to Cumbria’s strengths. Our strengths are getting things done,” said BECBC’s Chief Executive Dianne Richardson.
“We shouldn’t be trying to be a research centre because that’s not our character. What we should be doing is saying we know how to take this tool and apply it.”
READ MORE – Sellafield’s plans to be tech catalyst for Cumbria
The paper explained that the next phase of AI adoption is “unlikely to be defined solely by who develops the technology. It will increasingly be shaped by who can apply it effectively.”
“The foundations are already in place. Across Cumbria, businesses and education providers are already using AI, while industrial sectors are beginning to consider more advanced applications,” Richardson continued.
Speaking at the launch, Daniel Braund, Senior AI Lead at Sellafield added:
“We should be able to make decisions better, faster and safer with AI. But we need to do that carefully, making sure the training is correct and that we fully understand the limitations of AI tools. It’s not a case of rushing to adopt things but doing it thoughtfully and safely.
“Cumbria is an ideal place to be a centre of excellence for applied AI. We’ve got a history of doing difficult, dangerous work. If Sellafield can use embodied AI – robots – to help us take people out of harm’s way, then that’s useful to us.”
