Education begins now to bridge the AI skills gap

Education of individuals and businesses is the next important stage in the integration of AI into modern life, a panel discussion at the AI Summit Decrypted event heard. Its progress is inevitable and businesses are already starting to include AI modelling in their planning and operations. But skills levels may struggle to keep pace with the technology’s evolution and development, which must be addressed.

Education establishments need to deliver AI literacy to their students and businesses must be ready to capitalise on the benefits the technology offers now and in the future.

Speaking to an audience of around 100 businesspeople at the AI Summit Decrypted event, hosted by software company Aiimi at its head office in Central Milton Keynes, panel member Professor Paul Morrissey - a technology entrepreneur and policy adviser in the House of Lords - said: “The summit has been great but having the understanding is really important. We should be putting education first, educating people what AI is about.”

John Higgins, chair of the Global Digital Foundation and a former chair of the British Computer Society, added: “Businesses are starting to think about how they can build AI into their day to day operations and decision-making and make sure that it is as low-risk and as compliant as possible. AI is another risk they need to manage.”

Education is a key part of that, said panel member Jack Lawton, Aiimi’s AI solutions architect. Businesses are turning to AI generative models to improve their operations. “That is impossible to stop,” Mr Lawton said. “We need to educate people on these models and how they work and to not just blindly trust them.”

Professor Morrissey said: “We are in for a skills gap. It is inevitable but we need to start looking at the level of education we need to bridge that gap.”

Added Dr Monika Manolova, scientific projects advisor at MKAI - a development