Scotland’s capital ranked among top AI-powered cities of the future, a new report finds.
The University of Edinburgh - the birthplace of AI in Europe.
World leader
Edinburgh is the only UK city to be named an AI Leader in a new report published by Deloitte exploring AI Powered Cities of the Future.
The international consultancy analysed the AI plans, investments and practices of 250 cities in 78 countries around the world and examined how these cities are harnessing all varieties of AI to transform urban services.
Working with partners ServiceNow, NVIDIA, and ThoughtLab, the report examines how these cities are harnessing all varieties of AI, from machine learning and robotic process automation to Generative AI (GenAI) and agentic AI.
Edinburgh has been named the UK's leading AI city.
Driving innovation
The report found that of the 250 cities considered, 49 locations, including Edinburgh, were ranked as AI Leaders. These cities are identified as drivers of innovation already pushing the potential of AI to stimulate greater productivity, economic growth and competitiveness.
In particular, the findings highlighted Edinburgh’s pioneering work in using AI to advance standards in living and health, reflecting how the University’s research and innovation is shaping the future of health and care.
The University is considered the birthplace of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Europe. AI has been part of Edinburgh’s history for more than six decades and continues to drive ground-breaking research and business innovation today and into the future.
Our researchers are leading the AI conversation with expertise across a range of disciplines beyond computer science.
Embedding AI
The report states that the use of AI is expected to expand exponentially over the next three years. The share of cities surveyed that plan to widely use it will triple - from 18 per cent today to 48 per cent.
Edinburgh is said to be among the few smaller cities around the world that are firmly established as AI leaders and will shape the development and adoption of new technologies globally.
Read the report and find out more about how the University’s contribution powers Edinburgh’s place as a leading AI city at the links below.
Professor Shannon Vallor's research explores how AI, robotics, and data science reshape human moral character, habits, and practices.
