Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy and Transport – in the Senedd at 1:30 pm on 20 March 2019.
Deputy Minister, artificial intelligence and machine learning has the power to transform small businesses, yet the majority of businesses in Wales do not know how to harness its power. Machine learning is not just for large tech companies; it can be utilised by the local cafe, to assist with processing payments, VAT returns, and automating a whole myriad of tasks. With the majority of tools being open source, even down to Welsh language voice data—thanks to Mozilla's Common Voice project—there is a low barrier to entry into the field. What businesses need is pointing in the right direction. What can the Welsh Government do to promote the benefits of artificial intelligence and ensure that we equip future business owners with the skills to exploit technology to assist their businesses?