AI Ready Scotland
In a 2025 Local Government Association survey, 95% of responding councils said they were using or exploring AI. Only 7% rated themselves as leaders.
That gap between use and value is familiar across the UK public sector. AI Ready Scotland looks at why pilots stall, how to choose use cases worth pursuing, and how to move AI safely into production.
Thursday 12th November 2026
10:00 – 14:30
Microsoft Edinburgh, Waverley Gate, 2-4 Waterloo Place, EH1 3EG
AI is creating real opportunities for the UK public sector. Research from the Alan Turing Institute found that around 41% of public sector working hours are spent on activities that AI could support.
The AI choices are also widening. Organisations can now pick from everyday AI assistants, low-code tools, and custom-built solutions. Each suits a different problem, and each raises its own questions about data, security, and ownership.
This event is about getting those decisions right before you commit.
Get those decisions right, and the outcomes for your organisation could include:
- More time for frontline work. Spend less time on manual tasks and give time back to who matters most, the people.
- Faster, more consistent services. Answer routine enquiries quickly and route complex cases to the right team first time.
- Better use of the data you already hold. Connect information across services to spot needs earlier and plan with more confidence.
- Teams who feel confident using AI. Build the skills and habits that turn a successful pilot into everyday practice.
- A clear view on AI today. Understand what’s available now, where it’s heading, and which tools suit which problems.
- Lessons from real adoption journeys. Hear what Phoenix is seeing across public sector engagements. Common starting points, barriers, and signs of success.
- A process-first way to choose use cases. Learn how to prioritise the process you’re changing before choosing a platform or build approach.
- A sharper sense of readiness and risk. Consider data maturity, security, governance, skills, ownership, and the risks of unmanaged AI growth.
- A route from idea to outcome. See how discovery, pilots, measurement, and adoption fit together.
10:00 – 10:30: Arrival, registration, hot drinks, and networking.
10:30 – 12:00: AI today. Where the market is heading beyond Agentic and what it means for public sector organisations in Scotland. We’ll share customer stories, common barriers, and the readiness questions to answer before you go live.
12:00 – 12:45: Lunch
12:45 – 14:15: Turning ideas into outcomes. Identify, prioritise, and deliver AI use cases safely. We’ll cover discovery, platform readiness , security and risk measurements, adoption and ongoing success, and how to scale what works.
14:15 – 14:30: Questions, close, and networking
Your speakers on the day
Phil Andrews
Cloud and AI Lead – Scotland, Phoenix
Tom Connell
AI Business Process Lead, Phoenix
Jake Kerrigan
Cloud Security Executive, Phoenix
