Albert King, the Scottish Government’s Chief Data Officer, is set to step down after more than two years in the role.

Having joined the Scottish Government in 2007, he began his career there in the Scottish Exchange of Data (ScotXed).

“I arrived fresh faced, full of ideas and probably more than a little naïve, having never worked before in the public sector,” King recalls.

Moving through the ranks, from Head of ScotXed to Head of Analytical Data Infrastructure, he became Deputy Chief Data Officer in 2019 before moving into the Chief Data Officer role in April 2020.

The Growth of Data

Across King’s career, data has grown in importance as a commodity. According to research by IDC, in 2010 humanity produced a total of two zettabytes of data. By 2020, when King became Chief Data Officer, it was 64.2 zettabytes. Now, it’s estimated we’ll produce 97 zettabytes this year.

It is this explosion of data that has driven so many advancements in technology over the last decade. From targeted advertising to satellite navigation, artificial intelligence and the internet of things, data has the power to make businesses and people’s lives smarter and more streamlined.

As Chief Data Officer, King has helped define the Scottish Government’s vision around the use of data.

“For me, the importance of data is linked to the outcomes that it enables us to achieve,” he notes.

“And so, a big part of my role has been making that connection through Scotland’s Vision for Data is that it is used systematically to improve decision making in order to save time, money and lives.

“Whether that’s using data in our education system to empower teachers to improve achievement; in health to make cancer diagnosis more timely and accurate, or the innovative ways we’re using data to inform economic analysis to support decision making.

“Of course, the events of the last few years have demonstrated how powerful data can be,” he adds.

“Whether that has been to support decision making, for example through specialist geospatial analysis to inform decisions on the location of vaccination centres; or targeting support to protect the most vulnerable who may be shielding; or driving the development of new businesses and economic opportunities that can help us thrive as a nation.

“All of this tells a powerful story about how we can use data systematically to improve decision making, save time, money and lives and I’m proud to have been part of that.”

Evolving Field

Having spent years working with data in the Scottish Government, King has had a unique perspective on the evolution of data.

“Over the time I’ve been in government, I’ve seen how data has moved from being something that seen too often as niche and the preserve of analysts and technical people to something that’s central to our ambitions – to enable better, higher quality public services; better decision making and better outcomes for Scotland’s people,” he says.

“There is an appreciation of the importance of a data-driven culture and data literacy across our workforce.

“In Scotland, we are fortunate to have amazing data assets about our people, places and economy. So, as data leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that those assets are used to benefit the whole of society.

“We’ve made great progress in many ways. I think of the technology that we’ve built to help to collect and assure data for analysts across government, to ensure that we manage data well and to provide the tools for them to analyse that data and share the insights they create.”

Among the landmarks in King’s career is his work around Scotland’s AI Strategy. In April this year, he presented the State of AI Report at the Scottish AI Summit. This provided an account of the progress made in delivering the country’s strategy over its first year.

“The launch of the UK’s first national AI Strategy has put Scotland on the map as a nation committed to the trustworthy, ethical and inclusive adoption of AI,” King notes.

“This and our approach to realising this ambition through an AI Alliance which brings together diverse perspectives and public engagement has been recognised here in the UK and internationally as distinctive and welcome.

“Alongside getting our technology and data right, getting the policy conditions right, we’re also investing in the skills and capability of our people – and I think a great example of that is the Data Science Accelerator Programme, which has enabled data scientists across the public sector to accelerate their own development at the same time as solving real world problems.

“Scotland’s Data & Intelligence Network is fostering innovation and collaboration as it builds community and infrastructure.”

The Next Stage

With human data production on an exponential growth scale, and set to reach 181 zettabytes by 2025, the opportunities and challenges around using data are only set to grow.

Data is on the cusp of transforming society – integrated smart systems on citywide or even countrywide scales could soon be a reality. AI-driven predictive systems may well be making businesses more efficient and flexible.

This all needs to be balanced against the potential harms poor use of data present, like bias, or questions around ownership.

But many of the advancements still to come will be built on the groundwork of the past few years.

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“I’m incredibly proud of what has been achieved over the last few years,” King says. “There’s more to do of course, to ensure good quality, secure and trusted data is the engine that drives public services in the future.

“On that, I’m really excited by the user led, responsive and flexible approach we’re taking to Scotland’s Data Transformation Framework – and I wish my successor well in building on this approach.

“Reflecting on the last 16 years or so, I’ve come to appreciate the extent to which data is a team activity. It needs people with a whole range of professional backgrounds and perspectives for it to be successful and achieve the benefits we’re striving for. So, I’m fortunate to have worked with so many people who bring their talents, expertise and commitment to improve the lives of people in Scotland.

“Of course, I’m also looking forward. Scotland is developing its first Data Strategy for health and social care so it’s an exciting time to be joining National Services Scotland as Chief Data Officer. NSS has an enviable reputation for bringing together great technology, skills and data.

“That’s a great place to be as part of a thriving and collaborative data eco-system that directly improves the health and wellbeing of the Scottish population through innovative, collaborative, and ethical use of data.”

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