Microsoft UK CEO highlights AI's transformative potential at London Tech Week

Barclay began by reflecting on the past year, she noted the dramatic changes and advancements in AI: “So much has changed in the last 12 months. AI has created a market opportunity for all of us, with tech companies, businesses, and governments converging to harness this technology for economic value and real opportunity.”

London has continued to lead as a hub for AI innovation. The skills in prompt engineering have improved, and Microsoft has seen millions of questions from consumer developers, startups, and customers, which has helped it to build vast libraries to drive adoption.

Barclay pointed out significant advancements in various industries: “AI has made headlines with advancements in healthcare, education, financial services, and retail. For example, radiologists are working alongside AI to detect cancer, and teachers are using AI to bring innovation into the classroom.”

The UK is now home to a third of Europe’s AI startups. There has been a significant influx of inward investment and venture capital into the UK. AI and Cloud technologies could add up to £550 billion to UK GDP by 2035, enabling greater efficiency and productivity.

Microsoft’s study with LinkedIn showed that 75% of people globally are now using AI in some form at work, with 40-46% having started in the last six months. Two significant trends have emerged: ‘bring your own AI’ and the rise of ‘AI power users.’

Barclay elaborated on these trends: “When companies do not provide AI tools, employees are finding and using them themselves to simplify tasks. This phenomenon spans all age groups and workplace demographics. Additionally, AI power users are rapidly adopting AI and helping others within their organisations, acting as AI change agents.”

Barclay stressed the importance of leadership, vision, and trust in AI: “The scale of AI’s growth raises the question of what it will take to reach our potential in the era of AI. It comes down to three things: unlocking innovation, leadership and vision with a focus on safety and trust and developing the necessary skills and capabilities.”

Microsoft announced a £2.2 trillion investment into the UK, the largest investment in Microsoft’s UK history. This will expand its data centre footprint and bring significant capacity to the UK while maintaining the company’s commitment to net zero.