Public Sector AI Task Force Meeting June 2025
Welcome and updates - AI Policy, Scottish Government
After some uncertainty, the UKG announced on 11 June that Edinburgh University will now host the Exascale Supercomputer, the only one of its kind in the UK and one of only a handful around the world. This will drastically increase the compute power within the UK and will allow cutting edge research capabilities.
Scotland to host UK’s national supercomputer as Chancellor confirms £750 million investment - GOV.UK
The Data (Use and Access) Bill has now finally been passed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and is currently waiting for Royal Assent. There are still some areas of concern within this bill, however UKG have assured the public that the copyright section has still to be debated and will form part of the review of copyright legislation.
Data (Use and Access) Bill Passes, Ushering in New Era for UK Innovation
A new technology council has been formed, with their first meeting held in the morning of the 17 June. This is an expert group who will advise Ministers how to maximise the economic benefits of Scotland’s multi-billion technology sector and help to shape policy.
Presentations
Scottish AI Alliance Developments:
Living with AI - Artificial Intelligence (AI) Course - Living with AI
Living with AI is the Scottish AI Alliance’s flagship AI literacy programme and is a free, online, beginner-friendly AI Course that will empower you to understand AI’s societal impact and navigate its opportunities with confidence. Learn about AI and its impact on the world we live in.
This has recently been refreshed and relaunched and is now available to partner organisations to deploy on their own learning portals, with 17 partners so far signed up including SG, Glasgow School of Art, and West Lothian College.
The Playbook - Resources and Guidance | Scottish AI Playbook
The creation of a foundational playbook setting out Scotland’s priorities, ambitions, and approach to AI adoption serves as a comprehensive guide designed to support businesses in implementing AI in a trustworthy, ethical, and inclusive way.
This has recently been relaunched with updated and expanded resources to help Scotland's businesses and organisations adopt AI with a curated library of resources.
Children and AI - Children's Rights & AI: Teaching Pack
The Exploring Children's Rights and AI project is a multi-year collaboration between the Scottish AI Alliance, the Children's Parliament and The Alan Turing Institute. Working with children, the project explores with children how they interact with AI and the possibilities and risks of using AI.
This has culminated in the publication in June 2025 of a teaching pack for educators, with the purpose to explore key issues in AI through the lens of children’s human rights, as part of Scotland’s AI Strategy’s key commitments around the UNCRC as it relates to AI technologies.
Update on CivTech project 10.7
CivTech Challenge 10.7 — public participation in decision making — CivTech
A new digital engagement platform, Comhairle, is being developed by the Scottish Government and CrownShy, sponsored by the Digital Directorate and Open Government.
Comhairle is designed to address the challenge of delivering high-quality, scalable, public participation in decision-making, while inspiring trust around ethical data use and sharing, AI, and wider public good activities.
Work is underway to identify and pilot engagement activities on Comhairle, with the next phase of activity starting in late July for 18 months.
This tool will allow timely insight into public views, evaluate systematically how to get the democratic input that policies need and allow for transparency in policy design and decision making.