More jobs to be created in Oxfordshire following plans to boost AI
The government plans are expected to create 13,250 jobs
More jobs are set to be created in Oxfordshire following the government’s plan to boost growth and living standards, using artificial intelligence.
The UK's very first 'growth zone' will be at the Culham Centre for fusion energy, situated just South of Abingdon.
"Need to expand, develop and change"
Deputy Chief Executive of Culham Centre, Tim Bestwick says, “it's a box they're only just opening".
“We need AI to help us design and simulate, making sure that future designs or our fusion power plants are safe and effective. So, it’s a very important tool for us specifically, to the extent that our technological development plans depend on it”, said Mr Bestwick.
The Government revealed in Monday’s announcement, tech companies had committed a total of £14 billion of investment in AI infrastructure in the UK, expecting to create 13,250 jobs.
Mr Bestwick said: “Being at the global forefront is incredibly important and a very big deal. It certainly means that the Culham site will need to expand, develop and change as we step up to that challenge.”
"It’s just part of life"
The Deputy Chief Executive also explains that AI will become “part of life”.
He said: “My feeling is that AI is going to be huge for all of us.
“I guess like so many other technological revolutions, when you’re at the beginning of it, it’s difficult to see how and what difference it will make. So, it will probably take quite some time to get into our lives.”
He added: “The dishwasher in your kitchen, that’s quite a sophisticated robot but you don’t think ‘there’s my robot that washes the dishes’.
“I think the same is true with AI, you think of it as a being thing until it’s just built into what you do. Such as your phone or search engine, and then it’s just part of life.”
AI is already being in hospitals up and down the country to deliver better, faster, and smarter care, such as spotting pain levels for people who can’t speak, diagnosing breast cancer quicker, and getting people discharged quicker.
The Government also hopes that AI will be used for a vast array of tasks to speed up productivity, such as helping to spot potholes and help improve roads.