Last week, business owners and representatives of North Lanarkshire Council attended a private peer group session in Motherwell, hosted by the accountancy firm Accountants Plus.  

The group explored how local businesses could benefit from the planned AI Growth Zone and how business leaders could turn AI into tangible commercial value rather than mere experimentation or hype.

Lanarkshire has recently been named the UK Government’s newest AI Growth Zone, with plans to attract over £8bn in investment. This development could generate more than 3,000 direct jobs within the council area and up to 7,000 jobs across the broader region. 

The investment has the potential to generate a £543m community fund that enhances current transportation links, digital infrastructure, and collaborations with educational institutions to cultivate a digitally proficient workforce.

Bryan Wood, Senior Partner at Accountants Plus, said: “Over the last three years, our team has embedded AI and chat tools within our operations, testing their safe and reliable use in professional services.

“At the seminar, a recurring theme was the financial balancing act in adopting AI, automation, and chat tools: AI often incurs costs initially—cash, management time, and attention—with benefits only realised later if systems are well implemented.”

Participants at the seminar realised that evaluating AI adoption should be like assessing any investment, which involves balancing initial expenses with potential gains in areas such as quotation, reporting efficiency, pricing accessories, cash collection, follow-up, management insights, and staff time utilisation.

Businesses determined that the optimal strategy is to identify a primary commercial obstacle to growth, specify the desired outcome, first redesign the workflow, and then implement AI or automation solely where it enhances that process.

They emphasised that assigning clear accountability, training staff on specific workflows, establishing basic governance early, and reviewing progress at 30, 60, and 90 days were critical to bringing AI into the workplace. 

The group explored how local businesses could benefit from the planned AI Growth Zone, and how business leaders could turn AI into tangible commercial value instead of mere experimentation or hype.