During 25 to 28 November, the British Business Chamber Croatia and the British-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce held a Business Delegation to Oxford and London focused on bridging the AI gap. The delegation of forty senior representatives of Slovenian and Croatian businesses started in Oxford where they visited the Saïd Business School, the MINI Car Plant, and an AI incubator for Oxford University students called Oxford Edge. In London, the delegation visited Goldman Sachs, Endava, Christie’s, and PwC. The programme was topped off with a Christmas Gala dinner at the historic Institute of Directors.
Oxford: a historic university city
The delegation was opened at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, home of the Executive MBA program ranked no. 1 in the world by QS. After a short introduction by Deputy Dean Richard Cuthbertson, Associate Professor Kejia Hu presented how AI is changing the way companies create value. Drawing on her research, she explained the gap between AI’s rapid development and its actual use and the current lack of government legislation and controls, cautioning that AI is not magic and conclusions must still be reviewed and overseen by human experts. Nevertheless, the rapid developments in AI over the past five years show that businesses will need to rethink processes and skills if they want AI to contribute to measurable outcomes; companies hesitant to adopt AI might find it difficult to compete in the new business game.
The programme continued with visits to the MINI Car Plant Oxford, the heart of MINI production, and Oxford Edge, the University’s new Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. At the MINI Plant, delegates saw up close how a new MINI car is produced every 67 seconds, supported by a highly coordinated system of planning, automation, and human expertise. While at Oxford Edge, a collaboration initiative between Christ Church, University of Oxford, and Blenheim Chalcot, students presented their start-up concepts, showing how the University is creating space for new ventures.
In the afternoon, the delegation joined a guided walk through Oxford with Alen Krajnc, an alumn of the Oxford University, who introduced us to the history, traditions, and daily life behind the college walls. The day concluded with Choral Evensong in Christ Church Cathedral and dinner at The Rickety Press.
London: finance, technology, and a visit to one of the world’s leading auction houses
At Goldman Sachs Investment Research, the delegation learned how the bank analyses the economic impact of AI, particularly around productivity, employment, and long-term growth. Their research shows that around one quarter of current work tasks in the United States and Europe could be automated, and early adopters are already reporting significant productivity gains. At the same time, there is still no evidence of widespread AI-related job losses. The presentation also looked at how AI is reshaping investment decisions, the sectors most exposed to automation, and the shifts Goldman Sachs expects in the coming decade as companies reorganise work and adopt new tools.
Our London program also included a visit to Endava, a succesful British investment in Slovenia, where we were welcomed at their headquarters by Jelena Ječmenić, Client Director for Public Sector, and Alastair Lukies CBE, Chief Engagement Officer. We continued with a talk from Richard Pugh, Global SVP and Head of Data & AI. He explained how AI is moving from simple tools to more advanced systems that can reason, make decisions and act on our behalf. He also showed examples of how companies are already deploying AI to automate processes, reduce costs, and speed up decision cycles, and why the pace of AI development requires organisations to adapt quickly.
The group also visited Christie’s, one of the world’s leading art auction houses, during Classic Week, the period before Christmas when art from antiquity to the 21st century are shown ahead of auction. Delegates viewed several works, including the Winter Egg, an imperial Fabergé egg adorned with more than 4,000 diamonds and expected to reach around 30 million at auction. The group also saw a selection of Old Masters and other pieces due to be auctioned, offering a look inside the preparation process and the way Christie’s curates works with centuries of artistic and historical significance.
Christmas Gala
The delegation concluded with a Christmas Gala at the historic Institute of Directors.
