Milton Keynes is a world-renowned smart city that is at the forefront of groundbreaking new technologies. Milton Keynes City Council has been working with local partners and organisations to solidify this position, and we’ve got some exciting updates which I wanted to share with you.
Hosting the world’s first AI safety summit
Milton Keynes is the home of innovation, from the ground- breaking development of modern computing at Bletchley Park to our role today at the forefront of global growth in technology and artificial intelligence (AI). That is why it’s fitting that the world’s first major summit on using AI safely is to be held in the smart city of Milton Keynes.
The Government has announced Bletchley Park will welcome international government representatives, tech company CEOS and academics in November to discuss the power of AI, its risks and how we can manage them. The event will be held on November 1 and 2, and the City Council will be working with partners to support the summit and provide guidance to local people ahead of this significant event. We look forward to welcoming world leaders and tech pioneers to Milton Keynes for productive conversations on this developing technology.
Trialling self-driving shuttles
Milton Keynes City Council and its partners have secured almost £2m in funding to deliver new state-of-the-art driverless shuttles into the city. This means that residents will soon be able to use autonomous vehicles that vary in size, with anything from a one-seater up to the size of a bus. The project will allow us to install the connectivity and other infrastructure necessary for self-driving shuttles, as well as robotic and drone-based services to operate safely.
We’ve teamed up with Smart City Consultancy and other partners to deliver the scheme, which will be used to trial the technology before it could be rolled out across the country. The City Council is committed to exploring new forms of sustainable transport so local people can benefit, as well as helping other cities around the world learn how to be greener places to live and work.
Demand-responsive, autonomous vehicles can help to reduce congestion, and create a cleaner environment, so it’s an exciting trial to lead on. The trial will also attract global organisations who want to test these ideas and provides potential for new high-tech, high-skill jobs.
A lot of work is going on behind the scenes, and we expect that passengers will be able to use the self-driving shuttles from as early as October 2024. More information on expected routes will be published on our website soon.
Faster charging than ever before
Some of the fastest electric vehicle (EV) chargers have been installed in Central Milton Keynes, which means motorists can get an 80% charge in just 20 minutes. The City Council has been working with BP Pulse to install rapid chargers across the centre, with there being 25 new chargers for residents and visitors to use.
Milton Keynes has one of the biggest and fastest charging networks in the country and will continue to improve our EV infrastructure. We’ve recently secured funding to add over 100 chargers in residential areas where there is less off-street parking, and we hope that this will help residents who are wanting to make the switch to electric.
Find out more about these initiatives and more news from Milton Keynes City Council by visiting www.milton-keynes.gov.uk
