Bradford forum to explore how organisations respond to AI

Business leaders from across the region are invited to come together next month to explore how organisations can respond to the rapidly accelerating impact of artificial intelligence. 

The University of Bradford will host a one-day forum on 18 June, bringing together senior figures from industry, the public sector and academia to explore how AI is reshaping leadership, governance and the future of work. 

AI tomorrow

The event, Sustainable by Design: AI for a Better Tomorrow, will focus on the practical challenges organisations face as AI moves from emerging technology to everyday reality. 

Craig Johnson, Associate Professor at the University, said the forum had been designed to help organisations move beyond discussion and begin actively preparing for change. 

“AI is no longer something on the horizon, it is already starting to reshape how organisations operate,” he said. “The question is whether we are actively shaping how it is used or simply reacting to it.” 

Future change

The event will explore how AI is affecting different sectors, from business operations to the labour market, with particular focus on the growing impact on knowledge-based roles. 

“Much of the conversation around automation has historically focused on manual work,” Johnson said. “What we are now seeing is a shift towards white-collar roles, particularly in areas such as administration and analysis, where AI can already deliver significant efficiencies.” 

The forum will feature keynote speaker Phil Le Brun of Amazon Web Services, a University of Bradford alumnus, alongside a range of speakers from industry and the public sector. 

Sessions will cover AI leadership, governance and workforce development, reflecting what organisers describe as the need to better connect technical understanding with the wider economic and societal implications. 

Dr Johnson added that while the scale of change remains uncertain, preparing for it is essential. 

“We do not yet know the full extent of AI’s impact,” he said. “But we do know that it will be significant, and that organisations need to start thinking now about the skills, structures and decisions that will shape the future. That’s why sessions like this are important, because they allow companies to be part of the debate and to be as prepared as they can be for future change.” 

The AI Forum will take place on 18 June from 9am to 4.30pm at University of Bradford, Richmond Road, Bradford. Bookings available here.

AI conversation continues

The University is also continuing the conversation beyond this event, with its forthcoming Bradford Forum set to explore how organisations are responding to AI in real-world contexts. The event, on Wednesday June 17 from 6pm to 7.30pm, at the National Science and Media Museum, will bring together expert voices and sector leaders to examine the opportunities and challenges shaping the AI landscape.

The event is part of the 6 Decades Lecture series launched to mark the University's 60th anniversary year. AI expert Dr Kamran Mahoof will take part in the lecture.

 

OPINION 

BY DR CRAIG JOHNSON 

AI is the next industrial revolution – the question is whether we’re ready for it

It is tempting to think of artificial intelligence as something unprecedented or outside the patterns we recognise. 

History tells us otherwise. We have seen moments like this before. 

From the first Industrial Revolution, through mechanisation, automation and digitisation, each wave of technological change has reshaped how we work, how economies function and how societies organise themselves. 

What we are seeing now with AI is the next phase of that same story. The difference is where the impact is being felt. 

Previous industrial revolutions primarily affected manual and industrial labour, traditionally referred to as ‘blue-collar workers.’ This one will affect professional, knowledge-based work- in other words, so-called ‘white-collar workers.’ 

The danger is that tasks that were once considered core to early careers, to learning and development, such as administrative roles, report writing, data analysis, are already being automated. 

As this trend accelerates, we risk seeing the hollowing out of the very roles that traditionally allowed people to enter and progress within professions. 

That raises a fundamental question. If those entry points disappear, how do people gain experience? How do they develop the judgement required to operate at a higher level? And what replaces the ladder that has historically underpinned career progression? 

These are the practical challenges that are beginning to emerge. We do not yet have clear answers. But what we do know is that this shift will be as profound as anything we have seen before. 

In many ways, the comparison with the Industrial Revolution is instructive. When mechanisation began to replace manual labour, there was resistance. Jobs were lost, industries were reshaped, and communities had to adapt. 

Over time, new forms of work emerged. Productivity increased. Living standards improved. But the transition was not immediate, nor was it painless. 

We are now at a similar juncture. 

Artificial intelligence will not simply remove jobs. It will change them. It will alter the balance between human and machine capability. And in doing so, it will force us to rethink how skills are developed and applied. 

For businesses, the implications are clear. Adopting AI is no longer optional. Organisations that fail to engage with it risk becoming inefficient and uncompetitive. At the same time, simply investing in technology without understanding how it fits into a broader strategy is unlikely to deliver meaningful results. 

But for all its obvious benefits, AI is not a silver bullet. Its value depends entirely on how it is applied, whether organisations have the right data, and whether it aligns with their strategic goals. Without that, investment risks becoming expensive experimentation with little return. 

For education providers, and especially universities, the challenges are equally significant but so too are the opportunities. 

Next week (June 18), we will host an AI Forum, with a keynote from Phil Le-Brun, an alum who works for Amazon Web Services. The session is intended for managers and executives, with a specific focus on how AI will affect business, AI governance and how it will impact society. 

We need to think much more carefully about what skills will remain relevant and how individuals can continually adapt as technologies evolve.  

If the nature of work is changing, then the way we prepare people for that work must change too. Traditional models, based on linear career pathways and long-term assumptions about roles, may no longer be sufficient. 

Companies that prepare for this will be better positioned to survive (and thrive) in once the AI tide has come in.  

Technological change does not happen evenly. Some places adapt more quickly than others. Ensuring that regions like ours are prepared for what is coming is crucial, not just for economic competitiveness, but for social mobility and opportunity. 

This is particularly important for younger generations. Pathways that once provided a route into employment may no longer exist in the same form. That makes it even more important to develop adaptable skills, critical thinking and the ability to work alongside emerging technologies.  

This is where universities really come into their own. They are the very places where this revolution in AI is being shaped, for example through innovative research, but also where it is understood. 

Universities are a nexus between industry, education and society at large. Our role is to facilitate discussions and create those vital opportunities for networking that so very often lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. 

The truth is no-one really know what the future will look like. We know it will be different and so it is prudent to begin strategising now, so we can avoid potential pitfalls and concentrate on creating value. 

That’s why our Sustainable by Design: AL for a Better Tomorrow conference on June 18 is so important and I implore business to sign up to it. 

The AI Revolution has begun. We’re in it. If regions such as ours are to thrive, not simply adapt, we need environments that promote lifelong learning, where AI is framed as an opportunity and not a barrier, and where confidence in our direction of travel translates into economic growth and job creation that ultimately benefits society.