Welcome to the podcast channel for the Scottish AI Alliance, the delivery body for Scotland’s national AI Strategy. Scotland’s AI Strategy launched on 22 March 2021 with the vision for Scotland to become a world leader in the development and use of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI. This podcast will feature updates on the delivery of Scotland’s AI Strategy as well as interviews and chats about all things AI in Scotland and beyond. Find us online at www.scottishai.com and on X @Scottish_AI.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
Thursday Jun 12, 2025
This week we chat to Agnė Balandžiūnaitė about her project 'Fictosaurus', the future of academic integrity, and Jurassic Park. Agnė will be showcasing her project at AI Can't Write Symphonies and Neither Can You.
Host: Gordon Johnstone (LinkedIn)
AI Can't Write Symphonies and Neither Can You - tickets (27-28 June 2025, Glasgow)
Music: Post Coal Prom Queen
Monday Jun 09, 2025
Monday Jun 09, 2025
In this week's episode we chat to Josh Thorpe about whether LLMs can ever truly be funny, the future of AI and education, and how AI may be better thought of as an environment rather than a tool.
Josh Thorpe is a writer, learning developer, designer, artist, musician, speaker and radio host living in Glasgow. He works at University of Stirling and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Thorpe is the author of AI for Students, a comic-style book that shows how to use gen AI to think more, not less, in education.
Host: Gordon Johnstone (LinkedIn)
AI Can't Write Symphonies and Neither Can You - tickets (27-28 June 2025, Glasgow)
Music: Post Coal Prom Queen
Monday Jun 02, 2025
Monday Jun 02, 2025
Could dreams be the key to AI consciousness and Artificial General Intelligence? What purpose to dreams serve? And is it really worth reading a full Malcolm Gladwell book? In this week's episode we chat to Oliver Sprigg to find out all of this and more. The is the first in a special season of the Scottish AI Podcast where we're talking to the artists and academics who are presenting projects at AI Can't Write Symphonies and Neither Can You.
Oliver Sprigg (MSc, GMBPsS) is a psychological researcher based in Edinburgh specializing in dreams.
Host: Gordon Johnstone (LinkedIn)
AI Can't Write Symphonies and Neither Can You - tickets (27-28 June 2025, Glasgow)
Music: Post Coal Prom Queen
Thursday May 22, 2025
Thursday May 22, 2025
How will artificial intelligence affect the future of organised religion? And what is a hyper-real? We sat down with Professor Beth Singler to find out.
Host: Gordon Johnstone (LinkedIn)
Music: Post Coal Prom Queen
Friday Aug 02, 2024
Friday Aug 02, 2024
Can humans and AIs work together to improve policing? And how do we foster trust in AI with an understandably skeptical public? In this episode we explore the intersection of AI and the justice system with author and strategist Jo Callaghan. We also get some fascinating insight from Alex Fassio - Senior Data Ethicist at the Ministry of Justice.
Host: Gordon Johnstone (LinkedIn)
Music: Post Coal Prom Queen
Friday Jul 19, 2024
Friday Jul 19, 2024
Join Gordon Johnstone and Elena Sinel, founder of Teens in AI, in this week’s episode as they discuss the role today’s youth play in shaping the future of AI. Elena shares her inspiring vision to nurture responsible and ethical behaviour in youth people. They explore social-economic concerns in AI education, how to protect children from deepfakes, ways to involve children in the conversation, and more.
Host: Gordon Johnstone (LinkedIn)
Music: Post Coal Prom Queen
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
The Scottish AI Alliance podcast is back! We're kicking off our new season with Prof Gina Neff – Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge – about AI and the upcoming elections, the future of politics, and our democratic systems. From the erosion of our shared reality to the reinvigoration of political participation, Dr Neff’s insights are absolutely fascinating and we hope you enjoy the conversation.
Here is a link to the blog mentioned at the beginning of the podcast: https://www.scottishai.com/news/ai-and-the-future-of-democracy
Host: Gordon Johnstone (LinkedIn)
Music: Post Coal Prom Queen
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Welcome to Turing’s Triple Helix, the Scottish AI Alliance’s podcast.
In this episode, Steph Wright, head of the Scottish AI Alliance, speaks with two amazing guests who have been closely involved in recent studies about public perceptions of AI in the UK.
We discuss the growing public awareness of AI across society, the changing attitudes towards the use of AI in various sectors, and areas of public concern.
Our guests
- Anna Colom, Public Participation and Research Lead, Ada Lovelace Institute
- Sylvie Hobden, Head of Public Attitudes, Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation
Links
- How do the public feel about AI (Ada Lovelace Institute)
- Public attitudes to data and AI: Tracker survey (Wave 3) (CDEI)
Original music from Post Coal Prom Queen: https://www.postcoalpromqueen.com/
Wednesday Aug 16, 2023
Wednesday Aug 16, 2023
In this episode of Turing's Triple Helix, we discuss how equality, artificial intelligence and the public sector intersect.
Explore how people with protected characteristics may be impacted by AI systems, how public bodies are embedding equality and the barriers they face.
Guests
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Katharine Weatherhead, Senior Associate - Scotland Compliance, Equality & Human Rights Commission
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Davie Morrison, Participation & Equalities Manager, NHS 24
Links
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Equality & Human Rights Commission: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance/artificial-intelligence-public-services
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CivTech Challenge 7.6: civtech.scot
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Connecting You Now: connectingyounow.ai
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
In this episode of Turing's Triple Helix, we discuss the implications of artificial intelligence for third sector organisations and young people.
Guests:
- John Fitzgerald, Digital Evolution Manager at SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations)
- Kirsten Urquhart, Chief Executive at Young Scot
Links:
- SCVO: https://scvo.scot/
- Young Scot: https://young.scot/
Original music from Post Coal Prom Queen: https://www.postcoalpromqueen.com/