Insight backs Scotland's AI scaling adoption programme

Insight has been appointed by Scottish Enterprise to support delivery of the AI Scaling Adoption Programme across Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Government.

It will work with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and South of Scotland Enterprise on the consultancy element of the initiative, which is intended to help organisations move from AI trials to wider operational use.

The appointment places Insight across all three lots of the national programme, giving it a central role in advising businesses on where artificial intelligence can be applied and what changes may be needed before projects move into implementation.

Details released alongside the appointment indicate the work will focus as much on business readiness as on technology. Participating organisations are due to receive assessments linked to their sector, growth plans, and strategic objectives, as well as consultancy support to identify and rank potential AI uses.

The support is also set to cover data readiness, governance, security, workforce skills, and organisational change-areas many companies must address before moving beyond pilot schemes.

Policy backdrop

The programme sits within a broader effort by the Scottish Government to turn its AI strategy into practical business adoption. Its aim is to give companies access to specialist advice and strategic guidance as AI becomes more widely used across the economy.

For Scotland's enterprise agencies, the challenge is not only to encourage interest in AI but also to help businesses identify where it can deliver a clear return. Many organisations have experimented with the technology, yet fewer have established a path from early trials to sustained use.

Insight said its approach starts with business problems rather than a specific tool or platform. The consultancy work is intended to identify viable use cases, test priorities, and develop implementation roadmaps for participating organisations.

The company is also expected to recommend how businesses can build internal skills and governance structures, reflecting wider concern among policymakers and employers that AI adoption requires management processes as well as technical expertise.

Adoption barriers

Business groups and public agencies across the UK increasingly frame AI uptake as a productivity issue, particularly for smaller and mid-sized organisations that may not have dedicated in-house teams. In that context, advisory programmes have become a common way for governments to try to narrow the gap between interest in AI and actual deployment.

In Scotland, the emphasis on responsible adoption has also brought greater scrutiny to governance, security, and workforce impact. The programme's structure suggests those issues will be treated as part of the initial planning process rather than as later-stage compliance concerns.

Lee Hughes, General Manager UK at Insight, outlined the company's role in the programme.

"Our role is to help Scottish organisations understand where AI genuinely creates value, not to sell technology for its own sake. We're bringing together local engagement with deep AI expertise and real-world implementation experience. Wider adoption has the potential to strengthen productivity, skills and long-term competitiveness for businesses across Scotland," Hughes said.

Scottish Enterprise said the consultancy element is intended to help firms move beyond isolated experiments and develop a stronger strategic case for using AI in core business activities.

Derek McCamley, Head of Business Scaling Services at Scottish Enterprise, said: "AI has the potential to be a significant driver of productivity and competitiveness for the Scottish economy. Scottish businesses have the ambition to lead in AI innovation, but many lack the strategic framework to move beyond experimentation. The consultancy element of the programme, delivered by Insight, provides businesses across Scotland with expert support to identify opportunities for AI adoption, address barriers to implementation, and build a practical case for wider deployment. This helps organisations move beyond isolated pilot projects and realise meaningful business value through the strategic adoption of AI."

The programme is designed for businesses across Scotland and is intended to support more systematic AI adoption through planning, validation, and implementation advice rather than direct technology procurement.

For Insight, the contract also expands its work with public and private sector organisations in Scotland at a time when advisory services around AI governance and deployment are becoming a more prominent part of the technology market.

The initiative's focus on readiness assessments, use-case validation, and implementation planning points to a policy view that AI adoption will depend less on access to tools than on whether businesses can integrate them into existing operations with the right controls in place.