Essex to harness power of AI revolution

Colchester and wider Essex are set to be at the heart of the AI revolution as key organisations came together at the University of Essex for a special AI Summit.

The event was organised and led by University of Essex Vice-Chancellor and UNESCO Chair for Analytics and Data Science Professor Maria Fasli and Colchester MP Pam Cox.

Representatives from Essex County Council, Colchester City Council, Southend City Council and Tendring District Council, along with representatives from Essex Police, Colchester Garrison and the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust all attended the event.

Professor Fasli’s commitment to unlocking the benefits of AI for local communities inspired the AI Summit which was also aimed to respond to the UK Government’s call to unleash the potential of AI.

Organisations heard about success stories within Essex County Council and Essex Police, driven forward by the Essex Centre for Data Analytics established as a partnership with the University.

Leading researchers including Professor Haris Mouratidis, Dr Haider Raza and Professor Mariachiara Di Cesare also highlighted how AI was already being used in the region to improve services and support businesses.

Professor Fasli said: “We want to position the region at the forefront of the AI revolution. We are at the vanguard of these technologies and as a university we have been working on AI since the last 1960s and early 1970s.

“We can help the region ensure these advanced technologies find their way into public services and businesses so we can make sure we can offer improved services and improve lives across all our communities.”

“This is the beginning of the conversation and we want to maintain the momentum. We are going to take all these ideas and feedback and work with our partners to make a really positive impact on communities in Essex and the region. We would love to hear from other organisations and businesses which we want to work with us. We hope we can be an example for the rest of the UK to follow.”

Pam Cox MP said: “I want Colchester and Essex businesses and organisations with the support of the University of Essex to be at the forefront of AI. We need to bang the drum for the expertise we have here in Colchester and Essex. I’ll be taking the results of this meeting back to the All Party East of England Group to see how we can take our work around AI even further.”

The University of Essex'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.