The launch of the AI Growth Alliance (AIGA) at the Farnborough International Airshow marks an important milestone for Hampshire, the Solent and the wider South Central region. At KnowNow Information, we are proud to support the Alliance and its mission to coordinate AI activity across businesses, academia and the public sector. Its objectives closely align with our own commitment to helping organisations unlock the value of data and artificial intelligence through collaboration, innovation and practical adoption.

Why we are supporting the AI Growth Alliance

KnowNow Information has been helping organisations harness the power of data and artificial intelligence for more than a decade. As an early adopter of IBM’s Watson AI technologies, we began exploring practical applications of AI as early as 2014. One of those projects, the Flood Event Model, combined predictive analytics with critical infrastructure data to help understand how flooding events could affect nationally important assets and services.

Since then, the pace of AI development has accelerated dramatically. Technologies that were once the preserve of research projects and specialist organisations are now becoming part of everyday business operations, public services and decision-making.

Throughout that journey, one lesson has remained consistent. Successful AI adoption is about far more than technology alone. It depends on trusted data, skilled people, strong partnerships and a willingness to share knowledge and experience.

That is why supporting the AI Growth Alliance is a natural extension of KnowNow Information’s own mission. The Alliance brings together businesses, universities, public sector organisations and existing industry networks with a shared objective: helping our region realise the full potential of artificial intelligence through better coordination, stronger partnerships and a collective voice.

Why coordination matters

One of the greatest strengths of Hampshire, the Solent and the wider South Central region is the breadth of organisations already helping to drive AI adoption. Innovative businesses, world-class universities, local authorities, public sector organisations and established industry groups are all making valuable contributions to the region’s growing AI ecosystem.

The opportunity is not to duplicate that work. The opportunity is to connect it.

The region does not need another AI organisation. It needs better coordination between the excellent organisations that already exist.

By improving coordination, we can encourage greater collaboration, reduce duplication of effort, identify shared priorities and present a stronger collective voice when seeking investment, developing skills, influencing policy and showcasing the region’s capabilities.

This is the role the AI Growth Alliance has been created to fulfil. It exists to help bring organisations together around common goals, creating opportunities that benefit the wider regional ecosystem while respecting and supporting the important work already being undertaken by its partners.

KnowNow’s Contribution

Supporting the AI Growth Alliance is one of the ways KnowNow Information is helping to strengthen the region’s AI ecosystem beyond the delivery of client projects.

As part of that commitment, our Managing Director, David Patterson, has served as the AI Growth Alliance’s inaugural Chair since January 2026. In this role, David contributes his time, experience and leadership to help bring together businesses, universities, public sector organisations and industry networks around a shared vision for regional AI growth.

The role reflects KnowNow’s long-standing belief that successful innovation depends not only on technology, but also on trusted relationships, collaboration and a willingness to share knowledge. By contributing to the Alliance, we hope to help create an environment in which organisations across the region can benefit from stronger connections, greater visibility and new opportunities to work together.

While the AI Growth Alliance is an independent collaboration between many organisations, KnowNow Information is proud to support its mission and to play a small part in helping it succeed.

Launching at the Farnborough International Airshow

The AI Growth Alliance will be formally introduced at the Farnborough International Airshow, bringing together representatives from business, academia and the public sector to outline a shared vision for coordinated AI growth across Hampshire, the Solent and the wider South Central region.

The launch session will be introduced by Paul Oxley of ADS, the organisation behind the Farnborough International Airshow. David Patterson, Managing Director of KnowNow Information and the Alliance’s inaugural Chair, will then introduce the AI Growth Alliance, explaining its purpose, objectives and the role it aims to play in coordinating AI activity across the region.

David will be joined by two of the Alliance’s supporters, Paul Harvey, Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, and Brian Johnson, Chair of Solent Freeport, who will share their perspectives on the opportunities that artificial intelligence presents for the region and the importance of collaboration between business, local government and other stakeholders.

The launch will also showcase the strength of AI innovation already taking place across the region. SeaBot will provide a technology demonstration, while the Alliance’s Leadership and Skills Working Group will present its work on developing an AI Leadership and Skills Strategy on behalf of the region’s local authorities and education providers.

Throughout the day, members of the Alliance’s Steering Group and Working Groups will be available to meet delegates, discuss the Alliance’s work and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

Looking ahead

The launch of the AI Growth Alliance is only the beginning. Success will not be measured simply by the creation of another regional initiative, but by the strength of the partnerships it helps to build and the opportunities it creates for organisations across Hampshire, the Solent and the wider South Central region.

The Alliance will continue to support greater collaboration between businesses, academia, local authorities and the public sector, helping to accelerate AI adoption, develop the skills needed for the future, encourage responsible innovation and strengthen the region’s ability to attract investment and recognition.

By coordinating existing strengths and creating opportunities for organisations to work together, the AI Growth Alliance aims to help ensure that our region is recognised as one of the UK’s leading centres for trusted, practical and impactful artificial intelligence.

Find out more

The AI Growth Alliance welcomes organisations and individuals who share its ambition to strengthen the region’s AI ecosystem through collaboration and coordination.

To learn more about the Alliance, its Working Groups, current initiatives and future events, visit www.aigrowthalliance.co.uk

You can also follow the Alliance’s progress through social media channels as new projects, events and opportunities are announced.