Report
Evaluation of sector opportunities for Artificial Intelligence in Northern Ireland
This report brings together the findings of a sectoral foresight study of current and future opportunities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Northern Ireland (NI). It was commissioned by Matrix to inform the AI Collaboration Centre (AICC) business case.
The Department for the Economy is currently finalising the business case for this Centre, which will be a hub for industry, academia and government. To inform decisions about the AICC’s approach to key sectors of Northern Ireland’s economy, Matrix commissioned this study with the aim to “help support the development of NI’s AI Sector and maximise future research and commercialisation opportunities”.
This findings report builds on a high-level briefing that was submitted to the Department for the Economy and the industry-led expert panel Matrix on September 17, 2020. The briefing provided an overview of the foresight exercise, an initial assessment of key sectors, and the framework against which the relative sector opportunities have been evaluated in the second project phase.
In setting up the AICC, the Department for the Economy explored a sectoral focus as one potential route to support the impact of the centre’s small team and to differentiate the AICC from similar institutions in other parts of the UK.
The objectives of this foresight study are to provide an evidence base with regards to opportunities and challenges for AI across key sectors of NI’s economy, and to develop recommendations with regards to the sectoral approach of the AICC. The study assesses the relative attractiveness of key sectors of the economy of Northern Ireland through a three-step evaluation framework that examines:
- the state of the current research base for AI in Northern Ireland,
- key sectors’ roles in the Northern Ireland economy and
- the opportunities for AI to have a distinct impact across these.
