What do digital leaders think of the current technology landscape?
On the 28th of November we hosted our 25th annual Digital Leadership Report dinner at the Scotsman Hotel, which gathered digital leaders from across Edinburgh to discuss the key topics shaping the technology sector.
The evening was enlightening, with insights from a cross section of Technology organisations across financial services, public and private sectors, all from corporate scale to SME and start-ups. Our diverse guests provided a truly varied range of opinions and experiences on the current state of the technology industry, allowing us to consider many different perspectives on some of the biggest questions currently in the industry.
AI adoption
One of the most fascinating discussions of the evening was regarding the adoption of AI within the workplace and the vast differences in utilisation between the smaller technology companies and the larger corporate environments.
Interestingly enough, many of the leaders in the room perceived a need for a ‘Chief AI Officer’ type role, as organisation's grapple with the governance of the pace of change within this realm. We are beginning to see a trend towards appointment of, at the very least, AI “SME’s” with one client already committing to an AI board, overseeing best practice, areas of application and hypothetical integration in future.
Turning our focus to NetZero
One area that stood out as needing attention, is sustainability. According to our Digital Leadership Report, a staggering 58% of tech companies currently have no plans for achieving Net Zero. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the sector to innovate and lead in environmental responsibility.
Thinking towards the future
As we head into the new year, leaders are beginning to plan towards 2025, and discussions around the dinner table revealed that a quarter of organisations in Scotland are engaged in large-scale projects involving AI, data, and the Metaverse.
This revelation is a clear indication of the forward-thinking approach many digital leaders and organisations are adopting, to position themselves in the most efficient way to manage emerging, cutting-edge technological advancements.
It should come as no surprise that a notable discussion point throughout the evening was the role of AI in the workforce. Tech leaders in Edinburgh support the sentiment that AI is not replacing jobs but rather supporting and enhancing organisational operations. This positive perspective is further evidenced by the emergence of AI boards and the role of the Chief AI Officer within companies.
Summary
The evening provided all those who attended with the opportunity to connect with like-minded digital leaders across Edinburgh and explore the largest topics affecting the tech industry.
Thank you to everyone that joined us and to our Harvey Nash team who supported in bringing this group together. It was truly fabulous to connect, network, and have insightful discussions with such a dynamic group of individuals.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the evening, please reach out to our Director in Scotland, Cameron MacGrain.
And to find out more about our services at Harvey Nash, please contact our team here.
If you would like to connect with the rest of our Harvey Nash team, you can find more information here: Andy Heyes, Kirsteen Bell, Kevin Robson, Bethany McKenzie and Craig Ross.
