Forth Valley Business Week: Here's why you should 'Say Aye to AI'

With the theme 'Say Aye to AI?', it aims to prepare local businesses for how the ground-breaking technology will impact operations, opportunities and skills.

It features talks and workshops with some of the most influential Scottish tech leaders, including David McFarlane from global innovation consultancy, PA Consulting, who said AI is for every single business, not just the tech industry.

David, from Falkirk, is holding a session at the event, and added: "AI is one of the biggest shake ups to not just business, but the entire world, in a long time.

"It is changing the way we do everything and is making traditionally time-consuming processes like data gathering incredibly quick. Almost every enterprise could streamline their process and increase productivity by harnessing the power of AI."

AI is more than the much-publicised ChatGPT - a mobile app chatbot that can access billions of information sources to write content, create code or predict trends.

While the app is innovative, Forth Valley Business Week, organised by Ceteris business support team, want local industry to know it is much more than that.

David added: "AI is like teaching a toddler to read, it can access huge amounts of information, it can read every book in the world, but it doesn't mean it could write a bestseller.

"The human element is always going to be essential to its success, it's not going to take jobs but will make mundane tasks much more efficient. Learning how to best use AI can future proof your business and save you time and money.

"Someone that owns a small cafe might think AI would not apply to them, but it absolutely can streamline your business. You can have AI reply to set questions like opening hours and dietary queries freeing up valuable time. Most industries can utilise AI."

Forth Valley Business Week is free to attend for anyone in business in the Forth Valley area.

​Industry leaders from technology incubator Codebase, Barclays Eagle Labs and PA Consulting will hold talks and workshops through the week, which ends with a networking lunch to raise money for charity partner Scottish Autism.

Josie Saunders, CEO of Ceteris said: "This week-long event represents a unique opportunity for businesses to delve into the world of AI and it's transformative impact. Whether you are business owner. industry leader or student curious about the future, this event will offer invaluable insights and networking opportunities."

You can sign up and see the full schedule for Forth Valley Business Week here.