4 days, 22 hours ago
Industry 5.0 – How does the UK get there first?
The starting gun for the global AI race has long been fired – but that doesn’t mean it’s not all still to play for. With world-leading research, talent, and innovation at its fingertips, the UK is well-positioned to harness its superpower in frontier technology to secure a leading role in Industry 5.0 as it emerges on the horizon.
The question is: How do we take a leading position? This is exactly what we asked the experts at our latest Future Talks event: “Industry 5.0 – How does the UK get there first?”
Now in its fifth instalment, the event saw leading voices from government, industry and academia come together in Plexal at Here East to explore how frontier technologies will transform the future of the UK – redefining industries, creativity, and education and impacting every discipline from design to manufacturing.
Through a series of thought-provoking discussions and networking sessions, we discussed what challenges and opportunities Industry 5.0 presents, where the UK’s strengths and weaknesses lie, and how we can maximise our innovative potential and creative talent to unlock the UK’s full potential.
Sharing opening remarks on London’s competitive advantage in Industry 5.0, Gavin Poole, CEO at Here East said:
“When we think of frontier technology, it’s easy to think about AI and life sciences. But when you think about London and the world-class creative industries that call it home, we are the envy of many around the world. This is what London is known for and this is what we can put into hyperdrive – focusing on our strengths and harnessing our creative potential to drive growth and productivity. We need to look up and out at what’s around us: it can’t be replicated anywhere else in the world.”
We started with a roundtable discussion on the now, near and next of Industry 5.0 – exploring where the UK’s competitive advantage lies, the need to create a refreshed narrative on AI and a more risk-tolerant culture, as well as how we can carve out our own niche as a global leader in frontier technologies.
Next, the conversation moved to Plexal Park, where we heard from Laura Citron OBE, CEO of London & Partners – the organisation working to grow London's global reputation. Diving deeper into the recently launched “London Growth Plan,” Laura outlined how frontier technologies are London’s next superpower as well as what our capital needs to do to become a leader in this area.
Following this, we saw Sasha Qadri, ex-Sky News and Bloomberg journalist, moderate a panel discussion between an exceptional line-up of speakers, including:
- Tim Flagg – CEO and Co-founder, UKAI, the UK’s first trade association for AI businesses which works closely with the UK government and regulator to ensure we create a regulatory landscape where we can use AI to foster innovation and business growth.
- Peter Crocker – CEO and co-founder, Oxford Semantic Technologies, a deep tech spin out from the University of Oxford whose AI technology has been used in Samsung’s new S25 smartphone.
- Angela Cross – UK Sales Director, Central Government and Defence at Dell, with decades of experience in IT and Telecoms technology sales across a career leading teams at high-profile global tech companies.
Together they examined the UK’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as how we can maximise our innovative potential and creative talent to become a global force in frontier technologies. Following this, we hosted a networking reception where our guests were able to connect with the experts to continue the conversation.
Our Future Talks series has always been a perfect platform to challenge the status quo, lifting the conversations defining tomorrow out of fragmented silos and into an open forum for discussion – enabling shared opportunities and challenges to be explored collaboratively.
