Glasgow has been named as the third most AI-ready city outside of London, behind Bristol in second and Manchester in first place.
The city by the Clyde emerged in the top three according to a new AI Cities 2026 Index compiled by data and AI specialist SAS.
The index, in its fifth year, evaluates cities outside of London across eight key criteria, including job opportunities, innovation funding secured, education opportunities, broadband speed, and business activity in the AI sector.
Glasgow had a high number of graduates moving into computing and engineering-focused roles and the second-highest number of jobs relating to AI within a five-mile radius of the city, with 52 opportunities.
The index revealed that 76.97% of students stayed in the city to continue working in ‘highly skilled’ AI roles, with the city on a par with index leader Manchester, offering 12 AI-related courses at the University of Glasgow.
The university has also been boosted by the recent creation of ‘Centre for Integrated Sensing and Communication Enabling Cognitive Cities’, which aims to utilise the data that will be gathered by 6G communications technologies.
Glyn Townsend, a senior director at SAS, said: “Glasgow’s rise from seventh to third place in this year’s index is a phenomenal achievement and a testament to the region’s dedication to bettering not only itself but other cities through the Centre for Integrated Sensing and Communication Enabling Cognitive Cities. It is clear that Glasgow is actively seeking to strengthen its AI sector, recognising how it can be used to boost jobs, increase opportunities and assist in long-term economic growth.
“SAS has one of its three global R&D centres based in Glasgow and we recently announced plans to invest more than £20 million this year in the centre. It has pioneered AI solutions to address client issues relating to areas such as fraud, risk, compliance, customer intelligence, and data management.”
Manchester topped the list for the third year running, maintaining its leadership position through a combination of educational strength, business activity and AI employment.
