Member Article

Response to UK Government: people & technology investment

The UK Spring Budget plans recently announced revealed a renewed emphasis on investment in future technologies in Britain, particularly towards the individuals who’ll be leading the charge in creating and managing these innovations. The funds being allocated to AI, machine learning and new technical skill qualifications area a welcome addition.

Appirio is pleased to see the Government’s proposal dedicating funds to introduce new T-level qualifications to support the technical training of young people as well as larger support for technical advancements. This is in response to several factors that are widening the UK’s skills gap: the ageing-out of experienced workers and leaders, millennials’ expectations for a modern work life, the progressions of new digital technology, as well as the aftermath of Brexit. It’s imperative the UK Government drives this investment towards cultivating the new technical and digital leaders of tomorrow, particularly in areas such as AI and machine learning.

Already an embedded feature in the latest consumer devices – proven by sales volumes of virtual assistants like Siri, Cortana and Alexa – AI presents a wealth of opportunity for businesses looking to upskill their workforce and transform both worker and customer experiences. With the UK Government set to invest £20m in robotics and AI, the technology will soon serve as an extension to the consumer-grade technology that already exists in the workplace. But how do skilled workers help companies take advantage of such technology?

Take G Suite for example, the machine intelligence element will use your language to predict action items to assign team members and can even help organisations recruit the best talent. Achieving success with these new tools depends on whether businesses have the right talent in place to implement and manage the technology correctly.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Justin Anderson .