Liverpool City Region has launched a new AI Task Force bringing together leaders from technology, healthcare, academia and the public sector to help shape its approach to artificial intelligence.
The 15-member group will advise on how AI can support inclusive economic growth, strengthen public services and improve outcomes for the city region’s 1.6 million residents. It will also work with local teams to co-design solutions with communities and support public sector innovation.
The task force will be chaired by Nicola Hodson, former chief executive and chair of IBM UK & Ireland, and will support Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Chief AI Officer, Tiffany St James (pictured).
Members include Kate Warriner, Chief Transformation and Digital Officer at Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust; Katherine Royse, Director of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Hartree Centre; and Gary McAllister, Chief Digital Officer for Healthcare and Lifesciences at Dell Technologies.
The group brings together expertise spanning AI research, digital transformation, healthcare innovation, accessibility, law, skills and workforce development. It is due to hold its first meeting following the Liverpool City Region AI Summit in October.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said the region wanted to be “at the forefront of the AI for Good movement”, with potential applications ranging from improving health outcomes and public services to creating higher-skilled jobs.
He said the task force would help the region navigate both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and support its adoption in an “ethical, responsible and transformative” way.
Hodson said the task force’s role would be to “help translate that ambition into action”.
The initiative forms part of a wider push by the Combined Authority to develop Liverpool as a smart city region and create an environment where emerging technologies can be tested and scaled.
St James said the task force would provide the expertise and connections needed to build an ecosystem capable of testing new technologies, supporting business growth and transforming the region.
The task force will also work alongside a new AI Academic Community of Practice, bringing together academics to provide research expertise and advise on the responsible adoption and integration of AI across different sectors.