AI more accessible than ever but skills shortages must be addressed

Barriers to using artificial intelligence are now lower than ever but there is a global shortage of people who understand how to select, design and deliver a successful AI project, according to the curators of major technology conference BelTech 2019.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Mar 2019, 19:15 BST
Updated 4th Mar 2019, 20:20 BST
Mark Brown of Unosquare, left, with Tom Gray of Kainos, Roisin Byrne from Hays and Stephen McKeown of Allstate pictured at the launch of BelTech 2019 at Allstate, BelfastMark Brown of Unosquare, left, with Tom Gray of Kainos, Roisin Byrne from Hays and Stephen McKeown of Allstate pictured at the launch of BelTech 2019 at Allstate, Belfast
Mark Brown of Unosquare, left, with Tom Gray of Kainos, Roisin Byrne from Hays and Stephen McKeown of Allstate pictured at the launch of BelTech 2019 at Allstate, Belfast

Speaking at the launch of the sixth annual BelTech event, Tom Gray, Group chief technology officer at Kainos, said there was scope for Northern Ireland to “steal a march” in the rapidly developing field, “if government, academia and industry collaborate in a timely fashion”.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Intelligent Software” looking at how software can solve the right problems, in the right way.

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He said cloud-based platforms provided by the likes of Microsoft, Google and Amazon had created opportunities for both technologists and non-technologists to use machine learning in a meaningful way without major startup, or operational costs.

However, the rapid development of AI had created a global skills deficit, which means there are not enough people with the understanding to know whether a problem they are facing is a good candidate for AI or the skills to implement the solution.

“Software engineering remains a core focus of BelTech and, with the rise of AI, we are focused on solving problems in an efficient and ethical way, not on using the technology for the sake of it,” he said.

“We’ll be challenging software professionals to think carefully about how and what they are doing and the wider implications of their work.

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“The biggest challenge with AI is whether those who are developing software are being ethically mature in their approach.

“The barriers to access for AI, and digital platforms generally, are much lower than they were and that creates a need for us all to be more intelligent in our approach to creating software solutions.”

BelTech 2019, which takes place on April 11, is the premier technology event for local software practitioners, business leaders, entrepreneurs and young people aspiring to break into the industry.

The event is curated by Northern Ireland-based digital solutions provider Kainos Software and will feature influential international speakers from the worlds of software engineering, AI and design.

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The conference is hosted by prominant members of Northern Ireland’s tech community including Aislinn Aislinn McBride (Kainos), David Anderson (Liberty IT) Joe McKavanagh (Kainos), Rachel Gawley (PwC) Austin Tanney (Kainos), Kathryn Harkin (Allstate), and Gemma Crothers (Kainos). Local speakers include Chris Johnston of Adoreboard, Oliver Lennon of Syndeo, with headline speakers set to be confirmed next month.

Related topics:Northern IrelandMicrosoftGoogle