The root of the word ‘consultation’ is the Latin verb ‘consulere’ – to seek advice or counsel.

Earlier this year we did just that, asking and hearing back from people across Scotland – and further afield – what they thought about the proposals in the strategy scoping document.

A consultation on the proposals ran from February to May, and attracted 83 responses from a wide range of 29 individuals and 52 organisations.

These included those developing and using AI, or who are interested in the opportunities and challenges that it presents. There was a fair geographic spread amongst responses, with most coming from Scotland but others from elsewhere in the UK, Europe and North America.

The Consultation Report was published in late September and summarises the analysis of the responses. And what a rich wealth of advice and counsel there was in these!

Alongside a broad degree of support for the proposals as a foundation on which we can build the strategy, the top five issues that emerged were:

• The need for an ethical approach – perhaps presented as a code, framework or set of principles – to guide the development, adoption and use of AI in Scotland.

• The value of making the strategy people-centred and aligned with Scotland’s National Performance Framework.

• The need to provide skills and training so that all people in Scotland can understand, engage with and use AI in a way appropriate to their needs.

• The value of case studies of AI having been developed and used responsibly to deliver benefit, and for these to be easily explainable.

• The need for a continuing public dialogue on AI in Scotland to ensure that our approach is and remains fair and inclusive.

Other issues were highlighted – such as what AI means, the importance of broader data and digital infrastructure, the need to recognise and address algorithmic bias, and the scope to build on Scotland’s previous successes in AI.

There were also suggestions on what else the strategy should address, such as the complexity of the AI ecosystem, the pace of AI development, the potential for bad AI and the need to consider the context of Scotland’s economic and social recovery from Covid-19.

The need for collaboration and partnerships within Scotland and further afield to help deliver the strategy, and links to other plans, strategies and work elsewhere, were noted, as was the potential to set out Scotland’s ambitions for AI on the global stage.

We are reflecting on all of these issues and suggestions as we take work forward, and hope you will follow our progress as we move towards publishing the strategy next spring.