Gloucester is taking the next step into the technological world as it welcomes Artificial Intelligence to it’s high street.
£400’000 has been awarded by Gloucester First Local Enterprise Partnership (GFirst LEP), the county’s local enterprise partnership, for innovation within the Eastgate shopping centre.
The new centre will include holographic employee’s, robotic security guards and drone deliveries.
Speaking to Gloucestershire Live, Jason Smith, chief executive of Marketing Gloucester, who will be at the forefront of the project, said: “This is a huge opportunity for Gloucester to progress in our ambition to be a showcase and testbed for digital technologies, developing the city of 2050 by 2025.
“There are huge challenges facing the UK retail sector and the UK Digital Retail Innovation Centre has the potential to be a gamechanger which could have a national impact, we greatly appreciate the investment from GFirst LEP.”
Marketing Gloucester to open new UK centre for digital retail innovation at @EastgateGlos shopping centre thanks to £400,000 award from @GFirstLEP https://t.co/g5XoAiorWJ #glosbiz #digitalhighstreet #gloucesterontheup pic.twitter.com/dUf75coG9R
— marketing gloucester (@mktggloucester) November 23, 2017
Gloucester has already shown it’s dedication to moving into the digital age as Paul James, leader of Gloucester City council explained to Gloucestershire Live.
“We were the first city to implement the three in one CCTV, Wifi and 4G solution, winning the prestigious Gordon McLanaghan Security Innovation Award; and have built up a wide range of partners such as Google’s Niantic Labs, #WDYT, Rewarding Visits and BT who have tested their technologies in the city,” he said.
“There is huge potential for additional inward investment and additional jobs and this investment from GFirst LEP can act as a catalyst.
“We were the first city to implement the three in one CCTV, Wifi and 4G solution, winning the prestigious Gordon McLanaghan Security Innovation Award; and have built up a wide range of partners such as Google’s Niantic Labs, #WDYT, Rewarding Visits and BT who have tested their technologies in the city.”