Essex to kickstart AI revolution with special summit

The University of Essex is answering the Prime Minister’s call to unleash the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) by bringing together leading organisations across the region for a special summit.

Colchester MP Pam Cox will chair the meeting at our Colchester Campus which will explore how the technical expertise of our academics can be utilised to develop AI technology and capacity in the public sector.

Members of Colchester City Council, Southend City Council and Tendring District Council will all be attending the summit, along with representatives from Essex Police, Colchester Garrison the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

It means Essex will be hosting the first regional meeting of organisations in the UK to discuss ways to unlock the power of AI since the Government’s announcement earlier this year.

Essex Vice-Chancellor Professor Maria Fasli, an AI expert and UNESCO Chair in Analytics and Data Science, said: “Essex has a wealth of expertise in artificial intelligence and has proudly been working on new technologies for several decades.

“The University wants to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible and position ourselves at the front of the Government’s AI revolution.

“Our academics are already involved with dozens of successful and productive partnerships, bringing their research and innovative ideas into the real world. We want to identify and seize the opportunities set out by the Government, helping to drive economic growth and bring about positive change.”

The University's Artificial Intelligence Research Group includes more than 20 academics and covers five key themes: analytics and data science; computational finance and economics; natural language and information processing; games and AI; and future health and technology.

Research projects involving Essex’s AI experts include managing hospital appointments and waiting lists, improving crop outputs on farms, and delivering an industry-first AI safety and efficiency solution for UK ports and warehouses.

The summit, which takes place on April 24, will provide organisations with an overview of the skills and expertise available at Essex and allow them the chance to see how they can be applying AI to existing services.

Professor Fasli added: “I hope the summit will provide a real insight into what Essex has to offer and help organisations understand how we can help them maximise the true potential of AI.”

For more information about AI research at Essex, visit Artificial Intelligence | Research Topic | University of Essex