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AI in Rail · Action Plan
§7 · AIIA — The industry's AI Incubator Accelerator

One body. Four engagement modes.

AIIA — led by Dr Sarah Schlobohm — orchestrates AI delivery across the sector. The mode it uses depends on system impact, ownership clarity and how much support a team needs.

AIIA-led delivery

When this is used

Strong alignment to the North Star; cross-industry impact; coordination across multiple organisations or technical boundaries; unclear or contested ownership; high consequence if delayed.

What it involves

AIIA working with partners to develop and transition solutions into operational use.

Illustrative outputs

Orchestrated delivery plan; agreed ownership and assurance route; reusable components and evidence to support adoption beyond the initial setting.

Field-led, AIIA-supported

When this is used

Local application; potential to scale or transfer; opportunity to generate reusable capability; delivery constrained by capability, capacity or assurance maturity.

What it involves

Delivery is led by an organisation, with AIIA providing targeted technical expertise, co-design input, additional resource or access to shared methods.

Illustrative outputs

Accelerated delivery; strengthened assurance evidence; improved transferability; reusable artefacts and patterns where appropriate.

Guidance & assurance support

When this is used

Owned and resourced initiatives; limited system impact; need for alignment, consistency or early assurance input rather than delivery support.

What it involves

AIIA provides advisory input to help teams shape approaches, navigate governance and assurance, and draw on learning from elsewhere.

Illustrative outputs

Clearer approach and decision route; alignment with standards and lessons learned; reduced rework and assurance uncertainty.

Inspiration & capability building

When this is used

Early-stage exploration; low risk or self-contained use cases; focus on awareness, skills or understanding potential benefit rather than immediate delivery.

What it involves

AIIA shares learning, highlights effective practice and supports skills development to improve the quality and confidence of AI activity across the sector.

Illustrative outputs

Improved awareness and capability; better quality of proposals; clearer understanding of where AI adds value and what good looks like.

How AIIA prioritises (§7.2)

Three horizons of capability.

Adopt

Apply proven AI-enabled approaches through pathfinders where feasibility is understood and conditions for adoption are largely in place.

Adapt

Extend or combine existing capability so it can be applied in different operational contexts or scaled across organisations.

Invent

Develop new approaches through incubator pathfinders where capability does not yet exist or is not yet proven in a rail context.