Scottish councils are pulling ahead of the wider UK in their data maturity and AI readiness, according to a recent study from Heriot-Watt University, with local authorities working under a common mandate driven by the Scottish Government.

Heriot-Watt’s AI Readiness of UK Local Authorities 2025 report assessed the data maturity, AI maturity and AI culture of 208 UK councils, and found that 70% of Scotland’s local authorities achieved “moderate” or “high” readiness, placing them ahead of much of the UK, including London.

Researchers noted that “Scottish councils appear to be more balanced in their AI readiness,” a finding backed by data showing that 70% of local authority infrastructure demonstrated higher levels of maturity.

While the study noted “sustainable progress” in Scotland across all three metrics, no council has reached the most advanced stage in data, readiness or culture, with 25% of Scottish local authorities still having no AI plan, compared to 21% utilising AI in at least one of their workflows.

Meanwhile, around a third (31%) are still piloting or experimenting with AI, but according to the report, these councils will face a challenge to scale these early forays into wider adoption due to a consistent lack of expertise and high costs, issues exacerbated by gaps in digital literacy, limited AI training, and weak feedback loops.

Still, Scottish councils have benefited from much stronger engagement and collaboration, both between themselves and with the Scottish Government, with the study noting that Scotland’s AI Strategy, introduced in 2021 and before the surge in interest sparked by ChatGPT, helped put many local authorities “one step ahead”.

That has provided a coherent national strategy and strong central digital governance that has elevated all Scotland’s councils, with the study comparing this to England’s multi-tiered, fragmented system, where urban and metropolitan authorities, particularly in London areas, are outstripping rural districts.  

While English councils show a clear divide, with local authorities battling for funding and talent, those in Scotland have benefited from COSLA and the Scottish Government working to create unified frameworks of common standards, shared infrastructure and pooled expertise. 

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That, as well as investment in workforce skills through programmes from the Scottish Digital Academy and the Improvement Service, has allowed Scottish councils to develop more AI use cases than most other regions in the UK, despite being fewer in number. 

However, gaps have emerged, with rural and island councils facing persistent capability and resource constraints, with smaller authorities hit hardest by limited expertise and rising costs. 

The study said that tackling these issues to establish a resilient, responsible AI culture across all councils will hinge on strong leadership, ongoing engagement with national bodies and the government, deeper staff engagement, and more strategic planning to shape future workforce and digital priorities.