Mayor’s mission to jumpstart AI revolution announced during Tech Week

West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker has set out plans for the region to become a national leader in the UK’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution and reshape the way we work, learn, live and grow.

The bold ambition to jumpstart AI development in the region, WM Artificial Intelligence Missions (WM AIM)has been launched during Birmingham Tech Week – the UK’s largest regional tech festival where the future of AI as a catalyst for growth and innovation is a key focus.

Mayor Richard Parker (second right) and Dan Cartter, SCC's director of innovation (left) with Rose Palacios and Callum Woodford, who are AI and innovation consultants at the global headquarters of IT service provider SCC.

The Mayor said: “I want the West Midlands to become the top global destination for AI, and the AIM is our opportunity to kickstart conversations and create an ecosystem in which this sector can thrive.

“I’m asking businesses, entrepreneurs, educators and research companies what they need to come and operate in the region, and I will respond to that by providing the skills, space, speed and support they require.

“The benefits of AI development should reach everyone. This is about making sure no one is left behind and that every community benefits from our AI and tech-driven future.” 

WM AIM sets out to ‘jumpstart’ AI development and ties into the West Midlands Digital Roadmap and the Mayor’s Growth Plan

It has three key aims:

• Position the region as an AI ‘testbed’ – making it quicker and easier for new AI solutions to be tested across health, transport, social care and fast-growing sectors like advanced manufacturing
• Boost business productivity through adoption of AI with a dedicated West Midlands knowledge hub to support businesses to better understand the potential of AI
• Build the most inclusive AI-ready workforce in the UK, equipping people with the skills to benefit from AI in their work, homes and communities.

The Mayor has recently announced £10 million of investment to create an AI Academy and a commitment for every resident to have access to free, practical AI training.

This will help to prime and upskill unemployed residents, supporting the mayor’s Growth Plan which sets out to drive a new era of prosperity by creating 100,000 good jobs in fast-growing industries like digital and AI technology.

The West Midlands boasts a £77bn economy and has one of the fastest growing tech sectors outside London, with 144,000 employees across 2,400 companies.

This, alongside world class universities and a young diverse population with 1.5 million residents under 25, creates the ideal environment for the AI and tech sector to boom in the region.

In addition, making the West Midlands AI ready will help encourage tech-led industries to locate to the region, joining the more than 300 AI firms already operating here. Businesses such as Atos, a leading provider of AI-powered digital transformation, whose new flagship AI development hub in Solihull was announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves at the Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham this week.

Jo Birch, chair of the AI Special Interest Group (AI SIG), said: “In a fast-moving world shaped by technological change, collaboration is the engine of progress. I’m proud of the AI SIG’s role in shaping WM AIM, bringing sharp insight, challenge and strategic thinking to the table, and delighted to support and endorse its contents. Implementation will demand the same spirit of partnership and it’s inspiring to see our community step forward with such strength and clarity.”