The father of AI was a pragmatist

The man whose son named artificial intelligence sold a cow for the fare to London. He was sixteen.

John Patrick McCarthy left Cromane, a small fishing village in Kerry. He saw no future for himself in Ireland, so he packed his bags. First London, then on to America.

If John had been a sceptic, he might never have moved. London and America are frightening prospects for a sixteen-year-old on his own. So much that could go wrong. He could have been frozen by the risk.

If he had been an optimist, he might have stayed, waiting for things to get better at home.

John was a pragmatist. He understood the situation was unfair. He understood the risks of moving, not to one country but to two. He weighed it up. And he moved.

In doing so, he built more than a better life for himself. He created a home where his son could become one of the most important scientists of the twentieth century, the person who gave the name to the technology reshaping our world.

I think about that when I talk to business owners about AI. We do not know exactly what it will bring. But if we approach it with an open mind, we can see the challenges clearly and act on the opportunities.

Your immigration will be of skills, of beliefs, of how you think about the work you do. The people who weigh it up and move, on their own terms, will be the ones who come out ahead.