Neil Lawrence, Chair of ai@cam, recently wrote an op-ed for the Financial Times discussing how to bridge the gap between supply and demand in the Innovation Economy.
Prof Lawrence calls for a “tighter mapping between what the public want and what the innovation economy delivers. It means more agile policy that responds to public dialogue with tangible solutions co-created with the people who are doing the actual work. It means, for example, freeing up a nurse’s time with technology tools and allowing them to spend that time with patients.”
He goes on to emphasise: “Too often in the past, we have been distant from the difficulties that society faces. We have been too remote from the real challenges of everyday lives — challenges that don’t make the covers of prestige science magazines. People are rightly angry that innovations like AI have yet to address the problems they face, including in health, social care and education.”
Lawrence notes that universities are uniquely positioned to act as “honest brokers” between scientific capability and real-world need, bridging gaps between public and private considerations, and including diverse perspectives in the development of AI.
