CAIO Weeknote #19
Policy, place, partners and practical delivery
Monday and Tuesday
AI Programme Team Monday kick-off meeting - we were joined by Izzy on 2 weeks work experience. Kudos to Kayla for the organisation.
Developing two presentations I’m giving later this week.
Calls with HR to help us with support for our team whilst we recruit.
AI Summit 2026 planning, date and venue negotiations.
Call with North West Employers to look at closer working together.
Reviewing applications for our Project Support Officer.
Monthly 1 2 1 with my Director.
Team support of data, programme communications and navigating press.
Strategic modelling of our AI Programme and sense-checking with internal colleagues.
Wednesday
Up on the train from London straight to Bootle in Sefton. Five hours door-to-door, but good wifi and a smooth train journey (albeit a bit late) gave me time to wade through my inbox.
I’m always blown away by the beauty and architecture of Town Halls, and Bootle Town Hall was equally exceptional, but also unique. The flags hanging here are from actual ships. During World War II, it was used as a command centre for the Battle of the Atlantic.
We had a tour of the town and checked out the forthcoming development of the terraced gardens and Bootle Strand Shopping Centre. We went to soaki up the plans to see where we can spot opportunities where AI and technology may be able to help.
The brilliant work of The Big Onion was an inspiration to see in person: a place-based social enterprise initiative based in Bootle Strand Shopping Centre to shift economic and social prospects for local people. It’s unit in the shopping centre, choc- full of smaller businesses giving them time and space to test, shape and grow.
The developments in Sefton, are not just in Bootle. Considering the renovation of Southport Pier we were asked: ‘How can we re-imagine a pier for the 21st Century’ - All ideas very welcome.
A quick late lunch in Bootle Strand Shopping Centre, snagging my first dish of Scouse - a lamb stew and back to the office for reviewing our teams’ monthly performance reports due tomorrow.
Straight out for a quick pint or two (case in tow) with brilliant visual engineer Vin Sumner of Pixel Mill, I met Vin on the Novel programme a few weeks ago to shoot the breeze on how immersive technology can benefit planning projects and public engagement.
Thursday
A long overdue visit to The VEC (University of Liverpool, Virtual Engineering Centre) to better understand:
Meta Liverpool - our digital twin and how we can use it. Here are just a very few ways:
Ingest open (or owned) data sets for policy and transport planning
Best locations of solar panel site depiction
Understanding air pollution
Identification of crime hotspots
The past projects and potential of the Geographic Data Service.
The drone gym (my description).
The interactive physical robots being planned to take us on future tours of the VEC.
We didn’t even get around to all the interesting, interactive, brilliant technology that they had planned to show us.
Huge thanks to Andrew Levers, Andrew Boland, Alex Singleton, Anthony, Konstantin and the rest of the team for helping us better understand the technical resources at our fingertips in the region.
Back to the office for Finance Management meeting on our forthcoming integrated settlement.
Presentation rehearsal for my two back to presentations tomorrow on LCR Cabinet Away Day and Keynote at The Festival of Data at the ACC.
Quick change and out for the evening with those brilliant bright sparks from the Novel Innovation Leadership Programme held at The Royal Liver Building.
Incredible opening by Dr Steven Roberts, Ex COO and Chief Scientific Officer of Barclays Bank and founder of Barlays Digital Eagles. Lessons for us all in pursuing what you believe in as a first innovator and how to rise above the naysayers.
Friday
A rude awakening: the fire alarms on the Travelodge Strand went off at 1:30 am and we all stood in the rain and the wind outside until 2 am, some of us in pyjamas.
Not exactly what I needed before two back-to-back presentations this morning, but still enamoured by the Scouse spirit. People were chuckling, trudging back up the stairs when all was quickly verified by the fire brigade, saying “well that was out of my comfort zone: I am pretty uncomfortable now”.
Thankfully, Henry from my team picked me up in the still inclement weather and drove me to The Hartree Centre in Daresbury, where I presented the AI Programme to the Mayor and the Cabinet at their away day.
Getting back as swiftly as was needed to present the Keynote at The Civic Data Cooperative Festival of Data held at the ACC would not have been possible without Henry’s kind support.
We arrived in such good time that I even managed to sneak in a media interview first for the Festival organisers.
It was so useful to catch up with Ben and Aga from the Digital Isle of Man team to hear how they are facing similar and different challenges and learn more about their Data Foundations approach.
Apologies to all that I didn’t get to speak to; feel free to wave on LinkedIn to carry on our conversations.
We had a team catch-up onsite at the ACC and headed back to Lime Street for my London train. It was cancelled, but I managed to get back not too late. Pretty fried but an epic week and will spend most of next week capitalising on the relationships, connections, use cases and technology available to us.
Events that I’m speaking at - coming up
25 Feb: The CAIO Blueprint, CAIO Summit London
26 Apr: The CAIO Blueprint: Embedding AI in Regions Local Government Partnership Network North 2026
Tiffany St James
Chief AI Officer, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority