ScottishPower Wins ‘Educator of the Year’ at National AI Awards

The electrification powerhouse received the accolade for its pioneering initiative, “Building an AI-Responsible Workforce for the Future,” which recognised its work to develop and embed AI skills across the organisation and beyond.   

Its four-part programme saw it launch an AI for Schools event last year to equip young people with essential AI knowledge and hands on opportunities which saw S4-S6 high school pupils take part in workshops and placements at ScottishPower’s HQ.   

It also hosted a Data and AI Week delivering a series of virtual masterclasses watched by more than 1,200 colleagues across the business, as well as a two-day Digital Summit and Hackathon events. This programme is in addition to its work to drive AI adoption across its operational businesses, from asset analysis to weather prediction 

The National AI Awards’ independent judging panel, which included experts from tech firms like Fujitsu, said the programme made ScottishPower a blueprint for modern organisations and it was a clear winner in an exceptionally competitive category.    

Douglas Smith, ScottishPower Corporate Services Director, said: “This achievement reflects the hard work across the business to build strong AI capability and empower, not just our employees, but the future workforce too, with the skills they need to succeed. This award is a testament to the culture of innovation and AI adoption we are creating at ScottishPower.” 

Aoife Whitford, Data and AI Governance Lead at ScottishPower, and a member of the winning team, picked up the award, which was presented by Minister for AI and Online Safety Kanishka Narayan MP as part of the AI Summit London during London Tech Week.  The National AI Awards bring together organisations, innovators and policymakers at the forefront of artificial intelligence.