🔍 AI: From Science Fiction to Societal Transformation – A Welsh Perspective
Originally published on LinkedIn - July 30, 2025
Another article for you in my Intelligence & Insight series.
From Skynet to Starfleet, artificial intelligence has long lived in the realm of fiction, sometimes inspiring, often terrifying.
For those of us raised on the silver screen, AI was everything from The Terminator’s self-aware apocalypse, to Short Circuit’s curious innocence, Blade Runner's sentient Replicants with a pre-programmed shelf life, to the unnervingly logical Entity in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Star Trek’s Data asked what it means to be human, while Quantum Leap’s Ziggy guided heroes through time with early glimpses of machine-led reasoning. Spielberg’s A.I. gave us a haunting tale of emotion and algorithm.
I was deeply moved by A.I. The movie was originally developed by Stanley Kubrick, who handed the project over to Steven Spielberg in 1995 to bring to life when he couldn't figure out his own angle to bring to the screen (with the cinematic technology available to him at the time). The screenplay was by Spielberg and his collaborator Ian Watson. This was loosely based on the 1969 short story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" by Brian Aldiss. The core of the story is about an artificial/surrogate child called David. The robot design was such that the 'parents' had the opportunity to adopt the artificial child via an imprinting process to bond unconditionally with the creation to become their kin, thereby activating unconditional love from the child.
Without spoiling the film if you haven't seen it, family circumstances change regarding their biological child, who had been treated for a long-term medical condition, and the resulting movie deals with significant and weighty questions regarding technological ethics and malpractice. This is all wrapped in the typical Spielberg flair and nuance. Resulting in a spectacular film, but often one that is overlooked in his legacy of movie classics.
Back when that film was released in 2001, AI was a speculative tool—now, it’s a transformative one.
Today, AI is woven into our daily lives—writing our emails, navigating our journeys, analysing our health, and increasingly, reshaping the way we govern, learn, and do business. But with this progress comes both promise and pause.
Yes, there are genuine concerns:
🔺 Job displacement
🔺 Data bias
🔺 Misinformation
🔺 Ethical boundaries we’ve yet to define
But there is also tremendous potential:
✅ Healthcare diagnostics at scale
✅ Environmental modelling and climate action
✅ Agile public services tailored to citizen needs
✅ Smarter, leaner businesses able to grow with resilience
And nowhere is this potential more powerful—or more needed—than here in Wales.
We stand at a turning point where AI can:
Supercharge our public services through smarter decision-making and predictive analytics
Empower our local authorities, health boards, and third-sector organisations to do more with less
Help our small businesses scale up, innovate, and thrive in global markets
Support a bilingual, inclusive digital society where technology enhances—not erodes—our culture and values
Unlock new opportunities for our young people, with skills pipelines leading from AI literacy to high-value, high-impact careers
We’ve gone from fearing robots to collaborating with algorithms—and in Wales, we have the chance to lead that collaboration with purpose.
This isn’t the rise of machines. It’s the rise of imagination, ethics, and collective progress.
Let’s embrace AI not just as a tool, but as a partner in nation-building—a means to empower people, not replace them.
I am fascinated by where this journey will lead us in Wales, and if this resonates with you, please get in touch. I would like to hear from you.
Diolch.
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