In 2002 Barnsley toyed with a redesign as a Tuscan hilltop village as it sought a brighter post-industrial future. In 2021, it adopted the vaguely vague slogan “the place of possibilities”. Today, it is trying out a different image: that of the first “technological city” in Great Britain.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has named the South Yorkshire community as pioneers of “how AI can improve everyday life” in the UK.
In Labour’s latest initiative to inject AI into Britain’s bloodstream, the government has announced that four US technology companies – Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Adobe – have agreed to help as the council works to apply AI to local schools, hospitals, GPs and businesses in Barnsley, an area of South Yorkshire which has struggle with unemployment and destitution since the closure of the coal mines.
The town and its 250,000 residents were chosen because they have already adopted AI more quickly than many other places, said Sir Stephen Houghton, Labor leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. His authority has been using AI assistants for some years in adult social services and children’s services, and its garbage trucks have been equipped with the technology to scan roads for potholes. Parcel company Evri, which has one of its largest distribution centers in the city, has been testing robot dogs for deliveries.
But local opposition leaders warned that rebranding Barnsley as a tech town “might seem like a bit of a leap” and highlighted local concern over whether AI is a force for good.
Tech City status means residents will benefit from free AI and digital training, businesses will be supported to adopt AI, the hospital will trial AI tools for check-ins, triage and outpatient care, and AI will be trialled in schools and at Barnsley College, all with the aim of improving student outcomes and teacher workloads.
“The economic base of Barnsley was destroyed 30 years ago,” Houghton said. “This is the biggest opportunity we have had since. The future of the economy will be in technology and the fact that Barnsley is at the center of that is an incredible opportunity.”
But the role of technology companies remains a subject of uncertainty. Houghton said: “The council won’t pay them. Whether the government will, we have to wait and see.”
Microsoft already has a relationship with Barnsley College and, alongside Google and Cisco, is believed to be working on a pro bono basis.
“If we want AI to work for Britain, we need British people and British public services who can work with AI,” Kendall said. “If we can show that AI helps young people learn, helps local businesses be more productive and improves public services, then we can show what is possible for the whole country. What we learn here will shape how we deploy AI across the UK.”
Ministers have been criticized for their handling of big tech companies. Last week, the government launched a national AI training program to improve the skills of 10 million citizens, but most online courses have proven useless. custom made training for clients of specific companies like Google, others costs up to £525 to make and some have simply extolled the merits of a particular company’s approaches to AI, such as the one explaining Microsoft’s “responsible AI approach”.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology said hundreds of courses on the AI Skills Hub are free and where payment is required this is clearly announced. “All courses are reviewed against a common set of criteria to ensure they are relevant, high quality and delivered by eligible organisations,” they said.
The ministers were also disputed to hold meetings with tech bosses more than once a business day. The government insists engagement is key to creating growth and transforming services.
“This isn’t about giving tech companies access to data they shouldn’t have,” Houghton said. “It’s a safe program and we’re not leaving ourselves open. But these things aren’t going to go away. We need to make sure we’re smart enough to protect people while still taking advantage of the positives that this brings.”
Hannah Kitching, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on the council, said investment in the city was welcome, but “there is a lot of anxiety among people about the use of AI and whether it is a force for good. We know it could be, but there are darker sides too.”
“(Barnsley) is still very connected to its mining past,” she said. “Young people see the jobs and opportunities around the idea of the tech city, but older generations may not see it. There’s work to be done to bring people together.”
Residents “want the council to set the right foundation,” she said. The roads were “completely in ruins” and, in bad weather, bins were not collected, she added.