Technology industry leaders gathered in the House of Lords this week for a special debate on the impact AI will have on the economic productivity and job creation.
The debate, chaired by Steven George-Hilley of Centropy PR, saw key industry figures explore the challenges posed by the digital skills shortfall, with attendees exploring new strategies to widen access to education and training.
Cyber expert Ben Green, chief revenue officer at adCAPTCHA, said: “With businesses facing a tidal wave of AI-enabled bot attacks, having the skills and systems in place to identify and block cyber threats should be at the very top of the boardroom agenda. Right now, hundreds of millions of attacks are being deployed to drain marketing revenues by manipulating ad auctions – damaging trust and accountability in the digital marketing industry. Without meaningful action, this issue will continue to undermine businesses, leaving at the mercy of malware and financial ruin.”
Meanwhile tech specialist Will Sargeant, UK GM AND Driver, AND Digtial said: “There are two skills areas we must drive forward across the UK workforce. The soft skills built through collaborating in person, in the office, solving complex problems in a world where technology and increasingly AI have diminished our competitive advantage against so many low cost talent pools across the globe. The functional skills to maximise the value and serve the demand of leading technologies, especially AI, Cyber and Data.”
Fleur Laffont, Head of Graduate Talent, UK and EMEA, FDM Group said:“AI is already shaking up traditional working models as businesses focus investment on the adoption of transformational technology. For ambitious graduates, the tech industry holds unlimited potential in terms of career progression, with skills in this sector vital for driving business growth.
However, the fact remains that far too many young people are missing out on these opportunities, so much more needs to be done to engage and encourage them to enter the tech industry. Key to this is providing flexible learning, accredited training schemes and high-quality courses that can develop their skills and allow them to thrive in a rapidly changing jobs market.”
Andy Ward, VP International for Absolute Security said: “Growing volumes of increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled cyber attacks pose a major threat to organisations in both the public and private sector. From small family businesses, schools, charities and even hospitals, hackers have proven they are both utterly ruthless and relentless when it comes to stealing data.
“As these threats continue to grow exponentially, it’s vital that CEOs and industry leaders recognise the importance of securing their device estate, enabling constant cyber resilience to keep malicious parties at bay.”
