AI Governance, Leadership and Readiness: Lessons from UK Council Research скачать в хорошем качестве

AI Governance, Leadership and Readiness: Lessons from UK Council Research

How ready are organisations really for AI? New research into UK local authorities reveals why governance, leadership and culture matter more than technology alone. In this episode of Future Ready Insights, host Darren Winter speaks with researchers from Heriot-Watt University and GoLLM about their latest study into the AI readiness of UK local authorities. Although focused on councils, the discussion highlights lessons relevant to any organisation navigating artificial intelligence adoption. The research shows that while ambition for AI is high, many organisations face barriers, including limited resources, leadership capability gaps, governance challenges, and uncertainty about long-term strategy. The episode explores: • What “AI readiness” really means in practice • Why strong governance and leadership matter more than technology alone • Differences in digital maturity across UK regions • How the UK’s innovation-focused approach compares internationally • The importance of skills, trust, and organisational culture • Practical steps organisations can take before investing heavily in AI The conversation also explores wider issues such as sustainability, infrastructure planning, regulation, and how governments are balancing innovation with responsible AI adoption. Whether you work in the public sector, private industry, education, or digital leadership, this episode offers practical insights into how organisations can move from experimentation to responsible, scalable AI use. Download the research report: https://dave.go-llm.ai/ai-readiness-r... Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI Readiness Research 02:19 Origins of the Research Collaboration 05:04 Understanding AI Readiness for Local Authorities 07:42 Key Findings from the Research 09:26 Geographical Insights on AI Adoption 11:53 Policy and Governance in AI 15:33 The Importance of Governance in AI Adoption 20:02 Leadership and Organisational Capacity for AI 22:00 Comparative Analysis with Global Peers 27:13 UK Government Strategies for AI 30:55 Long-term Planning for AI Integration 33:38 Next Steps for Organisations 37:39 Future Research Directions About our guests GoLLM Daniel Shorr, CEO of GoLLM James McConnell, consultant GoLLM and BCS AI Accredited Trainer for Duco Digital Training Alvira Khan, Erin John, researchers at GoLLM https://dave.go-llm.ai/ GoLLM is an Edinburgh-based, government-funded AI company that offers D.A.V.E. (Dynamic Analytics Visualisation Engine), which standardises and accelerates insight production across Customer, People, and Research teams - reducing analyst time and enabling timely interventions. It digests survey and other feedback data and produces consistent, executive-ready reporting for clients globally, at scale, with governance and auditability by design. Heriot-Watt University Luciana Blaha, Lecturer and Lead at the Intelligent Automation Systems Lab https://www.hw.ac.uk/ Heriot-Watt is a specialist university in Edinburgh with a global presence Intelligent Automation Systems Lab https://www.iasystems-lab.co.uk/ Resources and organisations mentioned in the podcast AI Opportunities Action Plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publica... Alan Turing Institute http://turing.ac.uk/ APSE https://www.apse.org.uk/index.cfm/apse/ Childrens parliament https://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/ Coram-i https://www.coram.org.uk/what-we-do/o... Digital Catapult https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/ EPSRC https://www.ukri.org/councils/epsrc/ Future Life Institute https://futureoflife.org ICO https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/... Interface Scotland https://interface-online.org.uk/ LGA https://www.local.gov.uk/ National AI Alliance https://businessaialliance.org Office for Artificial Intelligence (part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) https://www.gov.uk/government/organis... Scottish AI Alliance https://www.scottishai.com/ Socitm - Society For Innovation Technology and Modernisation https://socitm.net/ Learn New Skills ► Newsletter: https://bit.ly/futurereadyinsights ► Website: https://www.ducodigitaltraining.com Connect and Follow ► Darren on LinkedIn:   / darren-winter   ► YouTube:    / @ducodigitaltraining   ► Instagram:   / ducodigitaltraining   ► Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6BseKQU... ► Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... #AIReadiness #AIGovernance #DigitalTransformation #FutureReadyInsights #ArtificialIntelligence