A plea for a temporary halt, or moratorium, on the construction of new data centres in Scotland was criticized by Sandy Begbie of Scottish Financial Enterprise as sending "the wrong message" to potential investors. Speaking before Holyrood’s Economy Committee, Begbie argued that data centres are vital to Scotland's growing AI industry and that the country needs a "more proportionate response" to their development. He highlighted that AI could contribute over £23 billion annually to Scotland’s economy by 2035, making it a key area for growth. Begbie noted that the current debate around data centres has become "quite negative" from an investor's perspective, especially with calls for a moratorium from the Scottish Greens and other campaigners. He referenced research from Morgan Stanley, which estimates that up to $3 trillion (around £2.2 trillion) could be invested in AI infrastructure globally by 2028. Begbie emphasized that Scotland has a real opportunity to capture a portion of this investment but must act swiftly to avoid falling behind other countries. He urged the committee to consider the issue "carefully," even as the debate has become "quite polarised." To illustrate a more balanced approach, Begbie suggested looking to countries like Scandinavia and the Republic of Ireland, which have adopted a "more proportionate response" to data centre development. He stressed the need for a "nuanced" strategy that supports both environmental concerns and economic growth in the AI sector. Rich Wilson, CEO of Gigged.ai, a Scottish start-up based in Glasgow, also addressed the committee, emphasizing the need to attract more investment into Scotland’s AI sector. He described his company as working to help large enterprises integrate human and AI skills effectively. Wilson pointed out that Scotland has some of the world’s best universities and a strong talent pool in computer science and AI, but he noted a significant challenge: a lack of job opportunities in the AI and data fields. During a recent visit to a call centre in Livingston, he found that more than half the workers were graduates in AI or computer science who were unable to find jobs in their fields. Wilson argued that Scotland must shift its focus from simply developing AI expertise to creating more jobs in applied AI to fully realize the potential of the sector.