The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1357 contributions
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 20 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Good morning. I will focus on just one point, because we have a lot of areas to cover and I know that everyone wants to come in.
On the issue of behavioural change, I fully accept what you said about the figures that the convener highlighted and your point that they are relatively small in relation to the overall income tax base. As I understand it, your modelling is based on those who might be impacted, but I am interested in exploring the second-round effects, if you like, against the challenge of counterfactuals.
I note that, this morning, Professor David Bell said:
“my concern is that it will be difficult to attract the workers and investment to Scotland that are needed to generate sufficient growth”.
The same sentiment has been expressed elsewhere. Instead of, as we would imagine it, people leaving the country, it might well be that people just do not come. That is one possible scenario among a multitude of them. I would like to hear a bit more on your thinking and reflections on that at a big-picture level.
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 20 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
You bring out something else. People say that net migration from the rest of the UK into Scotland is higher than it is the other way round, but I suppose, if that is true, there is a question about the implications for tax and investment.
I appreciate that we do not have the answers here. I am just trying to get more of your reflections. The problem is that we do not know what will be true until after the event.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 13 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
I know that Helena Good and Chris Ranson want to come in, too, but on that point about age-appropriate use of generative AI, in particular, I would appreciate your thoughts on key roles in that respect. It was mentioned earlier that the applications themselves have some controls in place, but I am interested in how we enable youngsters at different ages and stages to develop some of that thinking and trust. Indeed, how trust develops in young people is a critical issue. I would appreciate your thoughts on that, Professor Robertson, before I bring in everyone else.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 13 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Helena and Chris, would you like to come in here?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 13 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
I am aware that our Scottish AI Alliance is underpinned by ethics. It is a key part of the framework, although one can then argue, “Well—whose ethics?”, which is, of course, an entirely different discussion.
10:00Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 13 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Thank you.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 13 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Good morning, everybody. I have a couple of areas that I want to look at, but, first of all, I want to ask quite an open, exploratory question.
To what extent is the issue here the requirement for skills that enable young people to use AI effectively—you have started to allude to some of that with regard to the different ages and stages of learning—and to what extent is it knowledge? My personal view is that acquisitive skills and curiosity will be utterly vital, because it is only through curiosity that young people will be able to learn the skills to interrogate and question things. However, you are the experts and I would appreciate hearing the views of Ollie Bray and perhaps Judy Robertson on that question, first of all, although I know that you will all want to come in.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 13 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Chris, does what Helena Good has just described play into your earlier points about assessment, measurement and how things are going to radically shift?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 13 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
I agree with you, and you have neatly led on to my final question. How on earth do we begin to tackle the challenge? I am mindful that, as parliamentarians, we need to support the education sector to keep up with the pace of change, which is startling and almost unfathomable at this point.
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 12 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
That leads me on to my next area of questioning, which will apply to you all and is about renewables. I thought that £960 million for the green industries growth accelerator was a relatively low amount. I recall what Richard Hughes said about how we got slightly ahead of the curve, but there is significant competition for investment and the UK has to compete globally.
I saw the £960 million as a signal. Given the wider fiscal environment, and given that companies are faced with a choice and can invest in other locations, that changes the risk profile of the UK, because of appetite and ability in a longer-run environment. I would appreciate your thoughts about that as well.
10:45