Scottish government sets out AI plans for the next five years

The Scottish government has released a new five-year AI action plan, aiming to help businesses expand their use of AI to develop new products and services, grow market share, and generate new jobs and investment.

Scotland's AI Strategy 2026-2031 calls for the rollout of a national AI adoption program, with a jobs panel to assess AI's impact on the workforce, along with an AI leadership academy. An independent expert advisory board will provide strategic guidance on the strategy's delivery, with "AI Champions" representing priority sectors and regions.

"The unprecedented pace at which AI is increasing and evolving presents an enormous opportunity. It has the potential to be genuinely transformative – for every sector of our economy, and for people from all backgrounds and communities," said deputy first minister Kate Forbes.

"This strategy sets out a clear plan to harness the economic and social benefits of AI responsibly with practical, tangible steps to be taken this year to help ensure we translate our innovation and expertise into more businesses, jobs, and investment."

She said the plan would involve Scotland's enterprise agencies, The Data Lab, and other partners.

Independent analysis by GC Insight has indicated the AI sector could be worth an extra £23 billion to the Scottish economy by 2035, with the cumulative additional GDP generated amounting to £140.75 billion between 2025 and 2035.

"Scotland is quietly doing some of the most interesting work in AI anywhere," commented Rich Wilson, CEO and co-founder of Gigged.AI.

"We have world-class universities leading the way in research, and we are increasingly seeing collaboration between start-ups and large enterprises to build practical AI applications. Collaboration will be key to competing on the global stage."

The plan lists a series of key actions to be completed before the end of March 2027. These include positioning AI Scotland as the national flagship program driving strategy delivery, and working to showcase Scotland's AI strengths on the global stage.

Along with the appointment of AI industry champions reporting to an independent Expert Advisory Board, a Future Jobs Panel will assess AI's workforce impact and guide national skills planning.

A nationwide engagement program will be launched to listen to concerns and develop solutions that ensure public trust and confidence, with a rigorous, trusted framework to ensure the safe, ethical, and efficient use of AI across health and social care services.

There will be a new boost to the national AI adoption program to accelerate SME productivity and competitiveness, the government said, including a new AI Leadership Academy.

Meanwhile, there are plans to pilot an AI Scaleup Accelerator connecting high-growth companies with experienced entrepreneurs and investment networks, as well as an innovation program to apply commercial and research expertise in AI to the delivery of public services.

The government also said it will work with partners to promote Scotland as a centre for green data centers and maximise the economic potential of the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone.

And, finally, a data matchmaking pilot will enable organizations to access trusted public-sector datasets to support data-driven innovation.

"This strategy sets out our ambition to build on Scotland's unique strengths, delivering tangible benefits for our people, businesses, and communities. It shows how government, industry, and academia will work together to shape our national response, and to ensure Scotland remains in the vanguard of this new technology in the years ahead," said Forbes.

"Our ambition is clear: to secure the benefits of AI for everyone in Scotland. That means boosting our economy, closing the productivity gap, and driving innovation while also supporting improvement to our health and education outcomes and increasing the efficiency and quality of our public services."