AI ambition is running high across Scotland’s public sector. From NHS boards exploring diagnostic tools to councils considering chatbots for citizen services, everyone is keen to embrace the possibilities. But there’s a catch: legacy systems are acting as handcuffs, and many organisations aren’t yet equipped to break free.
The evidence is everywhere. Promising pilots that get stuck in proof-of-concept purgatory because they can’t access the data stuck in decades-old systems. The demo was impressive, but the project crumbled when they hit the reality of siloed databases and incompatible formats. Significant sums of money invested in cutting-edge technology that sits unused because the most valuable asset, data, remains trapped in systems built for a different era.
Sound familiar? It’s time to liberate your legacy!
Break free from data captivity
After working with many public sector organisations, we’ve identified a common pattern: your legacy systems aren’t just old technology, they’re data prisons. Critical information sits locked in proprietary formats, isolated databases, and manual processes that nobody quite understands anymore.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need to demolish everything to set your data free.
Most AI tools are useless if your data remains locked in systems that can’t communicate, share, or adapt. Consider this: if your organisation struggles to produce basic management reports without manual intervention, how will it support machine learning models that require real-time data feeds? If departments can’t share information seamlessly today, how will they collaborate on AI-driven insights tomorrow?
The Scottish Government’s own research backs this up. The National AI Adoption Programme consistently flags data readiness as the primary barrier to successful AI implementation.
Without addressing these foundational issues, even the most advanced AI solutions risk becoming expensive experiments rather than transformative tools.
Start your liberation movement
Smart organisations are staging a data revolution. Instead of being constrained by legacy systems, they’re unlocking information and putting it to work. This isn’t about ripping everything out. It’s about targeted, strategic modernisation.
Liberate through integration
Your legacy systems hold decades of valuable intelligence but don’t let format incompatibility keep it captive. The key is to unlock this value through smart integration using APIs, modern data platforms, and thoughtful architecture to enable communication between old and new. This approach allows organisations to retain the best of their existing systems while opening up new possibilities for collaboration and insight.
Unshackle your data governance
Stop letting outdated processes control your data. Create governance that enables information to flow freely while maintaining security and compliance. Scotland’s commitment to open government principles provides the perfect framework for this freedom.
The incremental liberation strategy
You don’t need a revolution overnight. The most successful liberation movements happen through strategic, incremental actions that compound over time.
Focus first on unlocking your most important datasets. Instead of trying to transform your entire organisation in one go, identify the data assets that are most critical to your operations and systematically address any issues related to quality, accessibility, and formatting.
This pragmatic approach aligns with the realities of political and funding cycles. It provides measurable progress within financial years while still advancing longer-term transformation goals. Boards gain confidence through visible returns. Staff are released from inefficient, manual processes. And citizens benefit directly from services powered by reliable, accessible information.
Unshackle your people too
Technology change is only part of the story. Legacy liberation isn’t just about systems – it’s about people. Identify where staff are bogged down by repetitive data tasks: reports that take weeks to compile, citizen queries that bounce between departments, decisions made on gut feeling rather than accessible evidence. Unlock your data to break these chains and empower your people.
This means investing in skills development, fostering a culture of collaboration, and supporting leaders to challenge the status quo. Just as importantly, organisations must nurture curiosity, especially about AI. Encourage teams to become AI allies rather than opponents by encouraging exploration, understanding, and positive engagement with new technology. Change management is essential – help teams move beyond “this is how we’ve always done things” and adopt practices that unlock their full potential.
Organisations that succeed are those that invest in their people as much as their platforms, recognising that human insight and creativity are at the heart of effective public services.
Your liberation roadmap
Scotland’s public sector is well-positioned to lead in responsible, effective AI deployment. Strong political support, robust ethical frameworks, and a collaborative culture create ideal conditions for progress. But real transformation depends on systematically overcoming legacy barriers making data accessible, integrating systems, and empowering teams.
Do this well, and AI opportunities will emerge naturally from your newly liberated information ecosystem. Skip this liberation phase, and you’ll simply create more expensive digital prisons that promise freedom but deliver costly captivity instead.
