In 2002, Barnsley considered redesigning itself as a village in the Tuscan hills as it sought a brighter post-industrial future. In 2021, it adopted a vague and vague slogan: “A Place of Possibilities.” Now it is experimenting with a different image as Britain’s first ‘tech town’.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has anointed the South Yorkshire community as a pioneer in “how AI can improve everyday life” in the UK.
In Labour’s latest push to bring AI into the UK’s bloodstream, the government has announced that three US tech companies – Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Adobe – have agreed to help as parliament pushes for AI to be applied to local schools, hospitals, GPs and businesses in the Barnsley area of South Yorkshire, which has suffered unemployment and poverty since coal mines closed.
Sir Stephen Houghton, Labor leader on Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, said the town and its 250,000 residents were chosen because it was already adopting AI faster than many places. His authority has been using AI assistants in adult social care and children’s services in recent years, and its garbage trucks can use the technology to scan potholes. Every, a delivery company with one of the town’s largest distribution bases, is trialling the use of robot dogs for delivery.
But local opposition leaders have warned that rebranding Barnsley as a tech town “may seem a bit of a leap”, highlighting local fears about whether AI will be a force for good.
‘Tech Town’ status means residents will receive free AI and digital training, businesses will help implement AI, hospitals will test AI tools for check-in, triage and outpatient care, and AI will be tested in schools and Barnsley University, all in an effort to improve student outcomes and teacher workloads.
“Barnsley’s economic foundation was destroyed 30 years ago,” Mr Houghton said. “This is the biggest opportunity we’ve had since then. The future of the economy is in technology and it’s an incredible opportunity for Barnsley to be at the heart of it.”
But one area of uncertainty is the role of technology companies. Mr Houghton said: “The council won’t pay them. We’ll have to wait and see if the government will pay.”
Microsoft already has a relationship with Barnsley College and is thought to be working on it for free alongside Google and Cisco.
“If we’re going to use AI in the UK, we need British people and British public services that can work with AI,” Kendall said. “If we can show that AI can help young people learn, help local businesses be more productive and improve public services, we can show the whole country what’s possible. What we learn here will shape how we roll out AI across the UK.”
Ministers have faced criticism over their handling of big technology companies. Last week, the government launched a national AI training program aimed at upskilling 10 million people, but many of the online courses turned out to be bespoke training for customers of specific companies such as Google, some costing as much as £525 to complete, and others simply promoted the benefits of specific companies’ approaches to AI, such as one explaining Microsoft’s ‘Responsible AI Approach’.
A spokesperson for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology said hundreds of courses on the AI Skills Hub are free and where payment is required it is clearly advertised. “All courses are reviewed against common standards to ensure they are relevant, of high quality and delivered by qualified organizations,” they said.
Ministers are also challenged on holding meetings with heads of technical departments more often than once in a working day. The government insists that engagement is essential to generate growth and transform services.
“It’s not about giving technology companies access to data they shouldn’t have,” Horton said. “This is a safe program and we’re not going to leave ourselves open. But this problem isn’t going to go away. We have to make sure we’re smart enough to protect people while taking advantage of the positives that it brings.”
Hannah Kitching, the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition leader, said she welcomed the investment in the town, but added: “There are a lot of concerns among people about the use of AI and whether it will be a force for good. We know it can be, but there is a dark side.”
“[Barnsley] “Young people see jobs and opportunities in the technology town idea, but I think older generations probably don’t,” she said. There is work to be done to get people involved. ”
Residents “want the city council to get the basics right,” she said. She added that the road was “totally collapsed” and bins were not being picked up in the bad weather.
