The West Midlands is not the most deprived area of the United Kingdom, but when it comes to government funding and infrastructure projects it’s another of the areas that is sadly overlooked by those in Westminster.
Despite that, the area has forged ahead in embracing the digital revolution and blending it with the work ethic synonymous with the West Midlands’ proud, industrial heritage. In this article, we take a look at how software and technology are impacting the West Midlands, not just on a business level but on an individual, personal one too.
Revolutionising Transport
What’s the worst thing about Birmingham? Probably the driving. As a non-native to the area, the thing that most put me off the city and the area when I moved down was just how difficult it was to navigate the city. Don’t even get me started on Spaghetti Junction…
Fortunately, though software is playing a role. Birmingham is a Smart City, which means the flow of traffic is being monitored and influenced by AI. As this technology improves, it’s hoped that Birmingham could follow in the footsteps of cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Perth and Mexico City.
An integral part of that has been the simultaneous improvements in public transport apps, allowing users to easily book tickets and fares, thus encouraging people to leave their cars at home and therefore reduce traffic.
Boosting Productivity
Another way in which software is benefitting the West Midlands is somewhat linked to our previous point – productivity. What is the point of travelling an hour into the office to have a meeting with colleagues that you could have conducted from home via Zoom? Other than being mean to your employees, it’s pointless.
It’s not just Zoom, Skype and Teams that are helping to boost productivity and decrease the number of people unnecessarily travelling into big cities. Other smaller, less flashy apps are having equally large impacts on productivity.
Virtual assistant apps powered by AI, software editing tools, AI programs designed to proofread and check documents and even AI apps that edit AutoCAD designs that are used as part of planning applications.
You name it, AI apps are trying – and succeeding largely – in revolutionising and streamlining it.
Jobs and Opportunities
The West Midlands is the country’s fastest-growing tech sector and by the end of 2025 is forecast to be responsible for 52,000 new jobs and an injection of £2.7 billion into the economy. Whether it be in the creation of healthcare-specific software designed to detect disease or the production of AAA gaming titles, the West Midlands is Britain’s digital heartland.
So much so that Leamington Spa, a historic market town that is known around the world as a hub of gaming software development, is now known both locally and internationally as Silicon Spa. That’s a direct reference to the world-famous Silicon Valley in the United States which is to technology as Las Vegas is to gambling.
Software and Entertainment
The West Midlands not only has a proud industrial heritage, but a proud cultural one too. The area that gave the world the Peaky Blinders also gave us William Shakespeare, Black Sabbath and Orlando Bloom.
Unsurprisingly then, Birmingham and the wider West Midlands are great places to spend an evening, but software is changing the way that people from the area spend their leisure time. Increasing numbers of people are staying in for their entertainment rather than going out. Smartphones and in particular apps are a key driver of this.
Gaming is the most popular entertainment option for those staying in, the number of online gamers in the UK is expected to rise to 11.56 million in 2027, the majority of online gamers are in the 18-24 age bracket but there is an increasing number games aimed at an older audience which rely on online play, those looking online for slots have a huge range of options, and the bonuses enable new customers to play for free for a limited amount of time. The ability to play for free or low stakes for a sustained period of time isn’t an option you’re likely to find if you head out to Resorts World Casino in Birmingham.
In addition to this, there are a number of local companies specialising in experiences, such as murder mystery or crown court interactive dramas that have moved online to reach larger audiences. There are even a couple of companies offering Murder Mystery tours through the heart of Birmingham via the medium of WhatsApp!
In Summary
The digital landscape in the West Midlands is more than promising. Not only in terms of innovations that will make our day-to-day lives easier but in economic terms also. Economic terms that will draw more and more high-achieving people to the region, that will provide jobs for local people and that will inject a significant amount of money into the local area.
Article written by Chris Jones
