Salford university scheme helps industry veterans use AI to tackle chronic problems

“I’d leave every session with new ideas, new contacts and a clearer plan, then go away and put those ideas into practice. That momentum has been invaluable in helping turn years of industry experience into a technology business with real commercial potential.”

Ash Abbas is drawing on his own experience in construction to tackle late payments and the financial uncertainty they can create for contractors and suppliers.

Having worked in the industry since he was 18, from working on the tools and running his own business, he has experienced the impact of payment problems first-hand.

His ViSurety app is an AI-powered trust and compliance platform designed to reduce financial risk and improve transparency between clients and contractors.

It uses open banking to verify client liquidity before work begins and AI-powered computer vision to help independently verify completed work before payments are released.

BUILD AI helped him take the concept to a functional prototype that is now heading towards its next stage of development and live industry testing.

“Thanks to BUILD AI, the project has progressed from a raw concept to a highly developed functional prototype that’s now ready for the next stage of development.

“I remember describing it as being like seeing the first scan of your baby. Everything was still a little blurry, but suddenly something that had lived in my head for years had become real.”

Andy and Ash were among 12 participants on BUILD AI, which has already helped take four products to launch or near-launch, put six working prototypes into testing and accelerated two existing technology ventures.

BUILD AI, an acronym for “Business Uplift, Innovation and Lean Development through Artificial Intelligence”, was developed by the University of Salford’s Centre for Sustainable Innovation (CSI) and delivered in collaboration with NoCodeLab.ai.

The programme combined hands-on AI development with commercialisation support and mentoring, helping participants rapidly build and test their ideas while exploring how they could become viable products and businesses.

“When we created BUILD AI, we wanted to open up AI development to people with brilliant ideas but who might never have thought of themselves as tech builders,” said Dr Ann Mulhaney, associate professor for change management at CSI.

“These entrepreneurs know their businesses, their industries and the problems they want to solve inside out. What they haven’t always had are the technical skills or resources to turn that knowledge into a product. We wanted to change that.

“In just six weeks they’ve built working products, tested ideas with real customers, launched new solutions and taken businesses forward at incredible speed. That’s what excites me about AI. Put these tools into the hands of talented, ambitious people, give them the right support and confidence, and it’s amazing what they can build.”

Sara Simeone, founder of NoCodeLab.ai, said: “One of the most exciting things about AI-assisted development is the speed at which entrepreneurs can now experiment.

“They can build something, put it in front of users, learn what works and what doesn’t, and improve it without spending months and huge amounts of money getting to that point.

“BUILD AI gave participants the space to do that alongside other founders, mentors and experts who could challenge their thinking and share their experience. That combination of rapid experimentation and a supportive community has helped people make huge strides in a very short space of time.”

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