Three jobs hiring in AI-ready UK cities

The UK government is taking a pro-innovation and iterative approach to AI regulation as part of its broader ambition of becoming a science and technology superpower by 2030. AI is set to play a central role in delivering and enabling this goal.

Already, the sector employs more than 50,000 people and contributed £3.7bn to the economy last year. The UK government was ranked third in the 2021 global AI Readiness Index, and first in Europe, according to Oxford Insights.

The rise of generative AI in particular has sparked huge interest. A report by McKinsey found that adoption of AI has more than doubled since 2017.

The ease of use of generative AI tools and platforms is a major contributory factor to their success. According to Deloitte’s 2023 Digital Consumer Trends research, based on a survey of 4,150 UK adults aged 16-75, 52% have heard of generative AI.

The survey found that 26% have used it, with 28% using generative AI tools weekly. One in ten say they use an AI tool at least once a day. Right now that usage is, in the main, limited to the non-work arena, with 70% saying they’ve done so for personal use.

Approximately four million people (32%) have used generative AI for work purposes, the research found, despite the fact that only 23% believe their employer would approve of them using it for business.

“With millions of people using generative AI tools in the workplace, potentially without permission, it is critical that employers offer appropriate guidelines and guardrails so that their people know how, when and where they can use the technology,” says Costi Perricos, partner and global AI and data lead at Deloitte.

The need becomes even more urgent as the generative AI industry rapidly grows. The AI Cities Index 2023 from SAS says that AI is likely to contribute billions of pounds to the UK’s GDP and increase it by 7% over a decade.

While 64% of Deloitte’s survey respondents believe it may reduce the overall number of jobs available in the future, another recent report has found it has the potential to create 133 million new jobs globally.

Best AI cities

If you have AI skills now, or want to develop them to bolster your career in the future, you’re in a great place to look for a new role in a city that suits you. SAS’ report identified a number of the most AI-ready cities and boroughs all across the country.

Edinburgh leads, in large part thanks to the quality of its universities, which include the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Napier.

Already known for its AI excellence is Cambridge, which came second on the list thanks to the fact it has the highest number of AI-related job roles available within its vicinity.

Oxford, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow and Cardiff were the next entries on AI Cities Index 2023, followed by Nottingham, Brighton, Liverpool and Leicester.

London’s borough of Hillingdon outshines the business hubs of Islington, Southwark and Westminster in a list of the boroughs leading the way in AI to drive productivity, and plug the skills gap.

If you’re in the market for a new AI role this year, then the UKTN Job Board is a great place to start your search. It’s filled with thousands of opportunities all across the tech industry, like the three jobs below.

AI technical architect, PwC, Manchester

PwC is looking for an AI technical architect to help with the design and engineering for its business-facing AI applications. You’ll work with other technical specialists and subject matter experts from wider teams and business SMEs, building technology assets.

You’ll need practical experience with detailed knowledge of software development (.NET, Go, and Python), cloud environments (GCP, AWS, and Azure), and deployment and monitoring of compute-intensive resources (i.e. “MLOps”).

Interested? You can apply here.

Data platform product lead, Skyscanner, Edinburgh

The data platform product lead will work with business teams to understand their needs and translate them into data platform requirements, with a particular focus on data science, business analytics, ProdEng teams and ML teams, to ensure the platform can support advanced analytics and machine learning use cases.

You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field, plus five years of experience in product management, and a strong understanding of data technologies and concepts, such as data governance, data warehousing, ETL, and machine learning.

Find out more here.

Consultant, data science and machine learning, defence and security, SAMA, Deloitte, Bristol

Deloitte is seeking a consultant, data science and machine learning to focus on clients in the defence and security sector. You will apply data science and machine learning techniques creatively to solve complex problems, participate in all phases of the data science lifecycle from PoC to fully tested productionised solutions, and be responsible for the high-quality delivery of key parts of the company’s engagements, working with senior data scientists.

You’ll need to be willing and eligible to apply and obtain UK security clearance to Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting level, if not holding an existing clearance.

Get full details on the requirements now.