Academics in demand by businesses for Al knowledge and skills

UNIVERSITY researchers are in demand to help address skills shortages across a range of industries including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

- by ECHO REPORTER

That was one of the finding in a new report that explored the potential for collaboration between businesses and universities, commissioned by the Developing Business-Aware Academics project at the University of Exeter Business School and written by CBI Economics, the independent economic consultancy arm of the Confederation of British Industry.

In a survey of 235 UK businesses, an average of 85% identified skills gaps as a major threat to their competitiveness, with skills shortages in AI identified as among the most pressing challenges.

Asked how they would tackle AI skills shortages, 44% of big businesses indicated they would be more likely to engage with academic expertise in universities than to seek external hires or outsource.