London: An AI summit held at the House of Lords has called for greater use of agentic AI to rejuvenate Britain’s sluggish economy.
Chaired by Steven George-Hilley, founder of Centropy PR on Wednesday evening, the summit brought together thought leaders from across the tech, legal, financial and cybersecurity sectors for a wide-ranging discussion on the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence. The group examined the economic impact of AI on job opportunities, as well as sounding alarm over the skills challenges facing smaller businesses.
Key themes explored were the role of agentic AI in giving SMEs better access to professional sales and customer management systems, as well as the crucial role technology will be play in unlocking economic growth. Attendees also warned of the looming “skills cliff edge” in Britian’s workforce, as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the economy and redefine boardroom priorities.
Cyber chief Graeme Stewart, head of public sector at Check Point Software said: “AI has the potential to completely transform every aspect of public services, particularly in areas like healthcare and local government, which will have a positive impact on communities across the country. It is encouraging to see the government outline bold and ambitious plans for substantial AI adoption, but these plans must be underpinned by a commitment to security and privacy standards to protect the wider public.
“We’ve already seen how ruthless hackers can be when it comes to targeting vulnerable organisations, regardless of the human cost. So cyber resilience must be built in to these investments, both in terms of strategy and software, to ensure data remains secure in the midst of AI rollouts across the public sector.”
Dmitry Tikhomirov, VP, Technology Solutions, EPAM added: “AI is reshaping organizations - improving efficiency and opening up new opportunities for long-term change. But seeing real value from AI takes more than technology alone. It requires business and technology leaders working closely together, with the right platforms and skills in place, so adoption is clearly tied to strategic goals.
He added, “When that alignment is right, AI can move from experimentation into the heart of core operations and deliver business impact.”
John Lucey, Vice President of Sales for EMEA North at Cellebrite said: “With police forces and courts facing huge backlogs of complex case work, the role of AI in speeding up investigations and accelerating justice for victims of crime is now crystal clear. Digital evidence is now at the epicentre of the majority of criminal investigations, yet obtaining, verifying, and making use of it without the right tools in place is a challenging task.
Lucey continued, “That’s why it’s essential that hardworking officers and back office staff have full access to the technology they need to gather and analyse vital digital evidence to ensure criminals face swift justice.”