Thursday May 21st 2026
Bryan Wood, managing partner at Accountants Plus, outside the office
Written by Glasgow View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Lanarkshire-based business owners who gathered last week to discuss the area’s proposed £8.2 billion AI Growth Zone investment believe they need practical systems, clearer processes and better decision‑making to improve performance and results rather than yet more AI hype.
In January of this year, the UK government announced Scotland will host a new AI Growth Zone in Lanarkshire, supporting more than 3,400 jobs and helping drive economic growth as part of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
At a private peer group session attended by business owners and representatives from North Lanarkshire Council, hosted in Motherwell by rapidly‑growing Lanarkshire accountancy and business advisory firm Accountants Plus, discussion focused on how local firms can position themselves to benefit from the planned AI Growth Zone, and how owners can turn AI tools into measurable commercial value rather than experimentation or hype.
North Lanarkshire Council believes the investment proposals could deliver up to 3,400 direct jobs, with as many as 7,000 jobs across the wider area, as well as the potential creation of a £543 million community fund which builds on existing transport connections, digital infrastructure and partnerships with education providers to develop a digitally skilled workforce.
Bryan Wood, Senior Partner at Accountants Plus, said: “Over the last three years, our team has been engaged in embedding AI and chat‑based tools within our firm’s own operations, testing where they can be used safely and reliably in professional services.
“Their findings resulted in reductions in routine administrative tasks, improved staff understanding of systems and processes, and more time being freed up for higher‑value work.
“At the seminar, a recurring theme was the financial balancing act involved in adopting AI, automation and chat tools: AI typically brings costs first, as measured in cash, management time and attention, with benefits only realised later if systems are implemented well.”
Assessing adoption of AI in the same way as any other investment, participants found, requires, weighing upfront costs against potential improvements in quoting, reporting speed, pricing accuracy, cash collection, follow‑up, management visibility and use of staff time.
Bryan added: “The business owners concluded that the way forward is to identify a key commercial barrier to growth, define the required outcome, redesign the workflow first and then introduce AI or automation only where it improved that process.”
Emphasis was placed on assigning clear accountability, training staff on specific workflows, establishing basic governance early and reviewing progress after 30, 60 and 90 days.
As part of its Community Benefits activity, Accountants Plus offers free support to ambitious local businesses looking to take practical next steps, including complimentary meetings focused on goals, current positioning, milestones, reporting, decisions and actions, where AI‑supported processes may be appropriate.
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