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DataFest is almost here (27th & 28th May), and we're very excited to welcome 600+ data and AI professionals, leaders, and enthusiasts to The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh!This year, our theme 'Intelligent Futures' will explore how data and AI are shaping the systems, industries and societies of tomorrow, with a focus on long-term impact, trust and responsible scale.In-person tickets are now sold out

There's just under one month to go until DataFest, Scotland’s leading data and AI conference, returns to The Assembly Rooms on 27th & 28th May.This year, our theme 'Intelligent Futures' will explore how data and AI are shaping the systems, industries and societies of tomorrow, with a focus on long-term impact, trust and responsible scale.We've just announced this year's full programme, including o

April's theme in The Data Lab Community is Open Data!Open data is information that is made freely available for anyone to access, use, and share. A community resource that can fuel creativity and problem solving. Open data has the potential to spark new ideas, support transparency, and improve public services.However, it is not without its challenges. Privacy, data accuracy and long-term upkeep al

March's theme in The Data Lab Community is Infrastructure. Discussions around data centres and national infrastructure have frequently hit headlines over the past couple of years. Across government, industry and academia, data centres are increasingly framed as critical, economic catalysts, and the backbone of AI and digital transformation. With plans for 'AI Growth Zones' to accelerate the build-

Now in its second year, The Data Lab Community’s Data Visualisation Competition is an opportunity to come together to celebrate storytelling through data. The competition provides a platform for data visualisers of all experience levels to hone their skills, demonstrate their abilities, and raise their profile to a global audience of data & AI professionals, students and enthusiasts. The Challenge

For the first time in The Data Lab Community, we’ve appointed dedicated Group Champions to help us lead and grow our community groups.Our Champions are volunteers from the community who will host events, support other members and help shape activity across our groups.You can learn more about our new Group Champions below!📚 Education Group@Jamie Laycock – Head of Biology & AI Lead, The Glasgow Aca

Every day, people are exposed to thousands of messages across all of their screens, apps, emails, and social media platforms. In this crowded digital space, organisations face a growing challenge: breaking through the noise with communications that reach the right people, with the right message, at the right moment.From personalising experiences and forecasting campaign performance to speeding up

February's theme in The Data Lab Community is Marketing.AI is currently transforming the marketing industry - from personalising experiences, to spotting trends and predicting what customers might value, to making content creation faster and more flexible.However, AI is no silver bullet. Its outputs are only as good as the data behind it, the skills of the teams using it, and the care taken to app

Guest blog by Dora Kitching, Development Officer at In2scienceUK. Want to write a guest blog for The Data Lab Community? Register your interest here. Inclusion in data and AI: Expectations vs. RealityIt’s no secret that increasing inclusion and diversity in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) has clear benefits to the UK STEM sector. Its importance is especially clear in industries r

The Data Lab Community gives you two main ways to share and connect with other members: the Forum and the Live Feed. Both are useful, but they’re designed for different kinds of posts.Think of the Forum as the space for proper conversations and knowledge sharing, and the Live Feed as the place for quick updates and announcements.ForumThe Forum is where members come together to:Ask questions and ge

The Data Lab Community is looking for enthusiastic Group Champions to help us build and nurture vibrant sub-groups. These are volunteer roles, providing the opportunity to build visibility, strengthen networks, and contribute to a thriving data and AI ecosystem. We’re seeking motivated individuals with a sound understanding of their subject matter – people who are friendly, engaged, and keen to su

We've created groups for members working in Healthcare, the Financial Sector and Marketing!These are spaces for you to share sector and industry specific news, opportunities and events, and give you a chance to connect with other members working in your field.Heathcare groupFinancial Sector groupMarketing groupPlease share anything you think would be of interest to the respective groups, and we lo

We've created new regional groups for our members across Scotland!These are spaces for you to share local news, opportunities and events, and give you a chance to connect with other members in your area.Here are the groups:Aberdeen & North East ScotlandCentral ScotlandDundee & TaysideEdinburgh & LothiansGlasgow & West of ScotlandHighlands & IslandsSouth of ScotlandPlease share anything you think w

What are monthly themes?Each month, we introduce a new theme in The Data Lab Community. Our themes guide events, discussions & content in the community, and allow us to explore key trends, sectors and developments in data & AI.Our 2026 ThemesJan - Education & SkillsFeb - MarketingMar - InfrastructureApr - Open DataMay - Intelligent FuturesJun - Energy & Net zeroJul - Cyber-security & PrivacyAug -

The opportunity you've been waiting for has arrived... our Data Visualisation Competition is back!This year we've got prizes worth over £500 up for grabs - have you got what it takes to bag the top prize?Whether you are a seasoned data visualisation pro or you’re earlier in your journey and looking to learn about data viz whilst working on an interesting project, this competition is for you!What i

We're delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for DataFest, Scotland's leading data & AI conference, which returns to Edinburgh on 27th & 28th May 2026!The theme for our 2026 edition, 'Intelligent Futures', will explore how data and AI are transforming the systems, industries, and societies of tomorrow - with a focus on long-term impact, trust, and responsible scale. Keep your eyes peel

November's theme in The Data Lab Community is Data Visualisation.This month, we're returning our focus to one of the most powerful forms of communication in data and AI. In a world overflowing with information, data visualisation transforms raw numbers into insights and pulls out stories from the data.From dashboards and reports used to inform real-time decisions, to infographics and charts that b

Guest blog by Abel Aboh, Board Member, The Data Lab ScotlandDid you know that the iconic “Thin White Duke” persona of David Bowie was created by a Black woman? Her name was Ola Hudson, an extraordinary costume designer who worked with the Pointer Sisters, John Lennon, and David Bowie himself. Hudson’s creative genius shaped one of the most recognisable artistic identities in music history. I didn’

Healthcare systems are facing unprecedented pressures, with demand outpacing resources and services struggling to keep up. In Scotland alone, Public Health Scotland estimates that the NHS could be managing around 1,300 additional unplanned hospital admissions every week, largely driven by an ageing population. Cancer treatment waiting times are now the worst on record, with a third of patients wit

October's theme in The Data Lab Community is Health.Healthcare systems are under immense and unprecedented pressure to keep up with demand in an environment where funding is low and resources are limited. Hospital visits are on the rise, waiting times for life-saving treatments are the worst on record, and talent retention is an increasingly difficult as fewer people enter the workforce.In paralle