Silicon UK In Focus Podcast: The Data Dividend

David Howell,
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James Hodge is the Group Vice President & Chief Strategy Advisor, International at Splunk

Is the latest drive to use data to deliver tangible change across public services likely to succeed? And how can your business take advantage of the data dividend?

 

From Data Divide to Data Dividend Harnessing the benefits of government data to solve societal challenges   According to Splunk’s Data Dividend Report, the UK government is increasingly aiming to take a data-driven approach to address challenges, specifically when it comes to the adoption of emerging technologies such as the use of artificial intelligence:

  • The UK performed strongly in the global AI Readiness Index, having set up the NHS AI Lab and the new Defence AI centre
  • The UK has invested more than £2.3billion since 2014 into AI to improve data management, as well as introduce technology such as machine learning to modernise the UK’s public services
  • AI was at the forefront of efforts during the pandemic, with the NHS using AI for medical imaging to better detect the severity of a patient’s condition and provide direct patient care
  • AI imaging is now helping healthcare workers screen efficiently for other diseases, including cancer, helping the NHS recover from the backlog of patients
The independent report carried out by WPI Economics on behalf of Splunk, the data platform leader for observability and security, examines how four European countries – France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom – are using data for policy making. The research highlights how data has been used in areas from reducing education and health inequalities to tackling organised crime and enhancing the natural environment. The analysis showcases how far Covid-19 has reignited ambition across Europe to address serious data gaps given how critical a data-driven public sector proved to be during the crisis, with certain countries taking forward lessons learnt from the pandemic more than others.
James Hodge is the Group Vice President & Chief Strategy Advisor International at Splunk. James is a leading data strategist, and field CTO focused on helping organisations drive business outcomes informed by data. Data ethics and digital transformation are two of James’ passions. James is also an active advisor for start-up organisations on how to leverage data as a competitive edge while focusing on simplifying technology architectures. James’ career began in product management and strategy, having led Splunk’s Big Data and Analytics product strategy with a specific focus on the Hadoop, Spark and open-source analytics ecosystem. He has deep experience in technical design and consulting for enterprise organisations across Europe.