The story behind AI Ready NE
Mark McMeekin spent over 12 years working in digital marketing and communications - building campaigns for some of the world's most recognised brands, including adidas and Dr. Martens. He knows how to communicate complex ideas clearly, how to engage an audience, and how to make things land.
About two years ago, he shifted his focus. He'd been watching AI develop for a while - following the research, experimenting with the tools, understanding how Large Language Models actually work beneath the surface. Then ChatGPT arrived, and everything accelerated. Within months, AI was no longer a specialist interest. It was everywhere, changing how businesses operated, how people worked, and how information itself was created and consumed.
The professional implications were obvious. But the thing that kept coming back - the thing that turned a professional interest into AI Ready NE - was closer to home.
Mark is a father of two children under 7, growing up in the North East. He started thinking about what kind of world they were heading into - a world where AI would shape their education, their careers, and their relationships with information - and realised there was almost nothing being done to prepare them for it in school. Not because teachers didn't care. Because the system hadn't caught up.
"AI Ready NE exists because there's an AI skills gap that needs to be filled now, not when the curriculum catches up. I'm proud to be from the North East and I'm deeply committed to ensuring children in the region can gain the skills to thrive in an AI-driven world. This isn't a national programme being parachuted in - it's something built in the North East, for the North East."
- Mark McMeekin, FounderThe national computing curriculum hasn't been updated since 2014. A reformed version is coming, but not until 2028 at the earliest. Every child currently in primary school will have moved through KS2 before the new requirements reach them. That's the gap. AI Ready NE is the response.
North East rooted
Based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Built for the region. Not a national provider parachuting in with a generic programme.
12+ years in digital
A career spent working with world-class brands - adidas, Dr. Martens - on digital marketing and communications. Real-world expertise, not theory.
Two years deep in AI
Not a casual observer. Two years of focused work understanding Large Language Models, generative AI tools, and how they are fundamentally changing the way people and businesses operate.
A father's perspective
Two children under 7 growing up in the North East. A genuine personal stake in getting this right - not as a professional exercise, but as a parent.
A natural in a room
Sessions are engaging, energetic, and built around the audience - whether that's a hall full of Year 6 pupils or a room of council officers. Strong presentation skills are at the core of what makes this work.
What AI Ready NE stands for
These are the principles that shape every session we deliver and every decision we make about how AI literacy should be taught.
Understanding before use
Children are already using AI tools. The goal isn't to stop them - it's to make sure they understand what those tools are, how they work, and why that matters. Understanding comes first.
Local, not parachuted in
The North East has its own identity, its own opportunities, and its own relationship with technology and industry. AI literacy here should be built with that context in mind.
Empowerment, not fear
There's enough anxiety about AI already. Sessions close with a clear message: understanding AI puts you in control of it. The goal is confidence, not concern.
Now, not in 2028
The curriculum will catch up eventually. But children don't get to wait. Every year group moving through primary school without this foundation is a year group that deserved better.