PM plans to 'unleash AI' across UK to boost growth

The UK government plans to promote the application of artificial intelligence (AI) nationwide to boost economic growth and improve public service efficiency. This initiative, called the "AI Opportunity Action Plan," will be unveiled on Monday and is supported by several leading technology companies that have pledged to invest £14 billion in various projects, expected to create 13,250 jobs.

The plan includes establishing key growth areas and utilizing AI technology to address issues such as road potholes. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle stated in an interview with the BBC, "I want to ensure that AI benefits everyone from all backgrounds and every community in the UK." Last summer, the government commissioned AI advisor Matt Clifford to develop the UK AI Action Plan, which put forward 50 recommendations that are now being fully implemented.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that AI "will drive huge changes in the country" and "has the potential to transform the lives of working people." He also emphasized that "our plan will make Britain a world leader." In his BBC interview, Kyle also said that the UK is fully capable of creating technology companies on the scale of Google, Amazon, and Apple. He pointed out, "Currently, we don't have any British-owned cutting-edge, conceptual, leading companies. We have DeepMind, which originated in the UK but has now been acquired by an American company." He added, "Now, we want to retain all the elements that allow this scale of innovation and investment to exist in the UK."

The technology developed by DeepMind enables computers to play video and board games. The company was founded by three University College London students and was later acquired by Google. The government estimates, based on data from the International Monetary Fund, that fully embracing AI could bring the UK up to £47 billion in benefits annually over the next decade. The plan will also use AI to improve public sector efficiency, enabling staff to spend more time delivering services rather than on administrative tasks. Additionally, multiple "AI growth zones" will be established across the UK, involving large-scale construction projects and new job opportunities. AI will also be used for road inspections via cameras across the country to identify potholes needing repair.

Tech companies Vantage Data Centres, Nscale, and Kyndryl have pledged to invest £14 billion in building AI infrastructure in the UK. This investment is in addition to the £25 billion in AI investments announced at the International Investment Summit. Vantage Data Centres is building one of Europe's largest data center campuses in Wales. Kyndryl will create up to 1,000 AI-related jobs in Liverpool over the next three years, forming a new tech hub. Nscale has signed a contract to establish an AI data center in Loughton, Essex, by 2026. The government has stated that "AI growth zones" will be established across the UK, with fast-track planning schemes to create new infrastructure. The first growth zone will be in Culham, Oxfordshire, with more zones to be announced this summer, focusing on deindustrialized areas.

Kyle said, "I want to find opportunities in areas that really need future jobs, where past jobs have started to decline, and take advantage of the usually very good grid connections in those areas, which can currently provide surplus energy." Other parts of the plan include a new national data library to securely protect public data, and an AI energy board led by Kyle and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, which will focus on the technology's energy demands. The Conservative Party stated that the government's plan "will not support the UK becoming a tech and science superpower." Shadow Technology Secretary Alan Mark accused the government of cutting £1.3 billion in funding for "the UK's first next-generation supercomputer and AI research" and said that Labour is "pushing an analogue government in the digital age." He added, "AI does have the potential to transform public services, but Labour's economic mismanagement and lack of attractive plans will mean the UK is left behind." However, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said, "AI is a powerful tool that will help boost our economic growth, improve public service efficiency, and open up new opportunities to help raise living standards."