FUTURESCOT

We had the privilege of delivering a masterclass at Futurescot’s annual Public Sector AI conference in Glasgow in May, Scotland’s leading forum for exploring how artificial intelligence can reshape public services. The auditorium was full of leaders genuinely committed to making AI work, not just talking about it. And for those in the public sector, making it work means one thing above all: predictable costs, as much as predictable outcomes.

Anyone following Scotland’s technology-enabled care debate will have noticed how far it has already moved. The argument that care technology should be proactive rather than reactive, preventative rather than crisis-driven, is no longer a fringe position. Scottish Care has made it plainly, pointing out that the real obstacle is not the technology but commissioning frameworks built around time-and-task care.

A new chief executive has been appointed at the trade body for Scotland’s digital technologies industry. Andrew Weir will lead the organisation, which was set up in 2000 to represent its members and the wider interests of Scotland’s tech sector.

Scotland’s former chief entrepreneur Mark Logan has pledged £15,000 of his own money to help fund startups from the creative industries. The ex-Skyscanner executive, who conceived the landmark 2020 Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review, is donating the sum to Converge, the enterprise programme for Scottish university staff, students, and recent graduates.

A shared digital platform is set to be developed as part of a ‘once for Scotland’ prevention programme for obesity. The new system will allow people to access the right support at the right time – ranging from self-management tools and community services through to specialist clinical care. The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) has been commissioned by two health boards to help develop the solution – which it is hoped can eventually be scaled up across the country.

Glasgow academics have improved the way a popular AI tool understands geography – helping data scientists make faster, more accurate predictions. Researchers from the University of Glasgow and Florida State University have found a way to overcome a key limitation of ‘TabPFN’, one of a class of AI tools known as foundation models. TabPFN is used by AI professionals in a range of fields, from transport to healthcare, financial services, insurance, manufacturing, utilities.

A Glasgow-headquartered online pharmacy which specialises in offering medications – including weight loss injections – direct to patients has launched a digital skills drive with schools in the city. Simple Online Healthcare, one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK, aims to combine tech expertise with its local roots to help develop Scotland’s next generation of technology and healthcare talent.

Cybercrime remained broadly flat in Scotland last year – up by 80 reported crimes, or 1 per cent – but incidents are still ‘significantly above’ pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report. Scotland’s chief statistician released the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2025-26 report this week, which showed that there were an estimated 14,200 cyber-crimes recorded by the police in Scotland.

Scotland’s £26 million post-school education and skills reform programme is making slow progress and ‘lacks a clear delivery plan’, according to a public spending watchdog. Inadequate resourcing, weaknesses in governance arrangements and unclear costs, impacts and outcomes were listed among ‘multiple risks’ to the implementation of the Scottish Government’s ‘post-school education and skills reform’ programme.

Britain’s most powerful computer is being built just outside Edinburgh – with experts saying the development will ‘turbo-charge’ the nation’s research ambitions. Construction has begun on the UK’s next national supercomputer, which will help yield ‘world-changing’ discoveries in everything from cancer-busting drugs to next-generation aircraft and extreme weather forecasting.