PM intends to ‘unleash AI’ across the UK to drive economic growth

The government is set to announce plans to harness artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK to foster economic growth and improve public services. The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which will be unveiled on Monday, has received support from leading tech companies, which have committed £14 billion to various initiatives, creating 13,250 new jobs.

The plan includes the establishment of growth zones focused on development, with AI playing a key role in addressing issues like potholes. “I want to ensure that AI benefits everyone, regardless of background, and reaches every community across the UK,” said Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle in an interview with the BBC. Last summer, the government tasked AI advisor Matt Clifford with developing an action plan for AI in the UK. Clifford’s 50 recommendations are now being implemented.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasized that AI has the potential to drive transformative change in the UK, particularly in improving the lives of working people. “Our plan will position Britain as the global leader in AI,” he said.

Kyle also highlighted the ambition to create UK-based tech companies on the scale of giants like Google, Amazon, and Apple. “Currently, we don’t have any frontier, cutting-edge tech companies that are British-owned,” he noted, referring to DeepMind, which was originally founded in the UK but is now owned by Google. “We want to keep the ingredients for that level of innovation and investment within the UK.”

The government estimates that fully embracing AI could contribute an additional £47 billion to the UK economy each year over the next decade, based on data from the International Monetary Fund.

How the AI plan could impact you: AI will be integrated into the public sector to reduce administrative work, enabling staff to focus more on delivering services. The creation of several “AI Growth Zones” across the country will include large building projects and generate new job opportunities. AI will also be used to monitor roads through cameras, identifying potholes for repair.

Teachers and small business owners will benefit from AI tools that assist with tasks like faster planning and record-keeping. AI is already used in UK hospitals to speed up cancer diagnoses and will continue to support the NHS. Tech firms like Vantage Data Centres, Nscale, and Kyndryl have committed £14 billion to developing AI infrastructure in the UK, complementing the £25 billion AI investment announced at the International Investment Summit.

Vantage Data Centres is working on a major data center campus in Wales, while Kyndryl plans to create 1,000 AI-related jobs in Liverpool over the next three years, forming a new tech hub. Nscale is set to build an AI data center in Loughton, Essex, by 2026.

The government plans to establish “AI Growth Zones” nationwide, with accelerated planning processes to create necessary infrastructure. The first of these zones will be located in Culham, Oxfordshire, with more to be announced later this year, focusing on areas that have been impacted by deindustrialization. Kyle added that regions with good grid connections and an abundance of energy will be prioritized for these new tech developments.

Other initiatives include the creation of a National Data Library to safeguard public data, as well as the formation of an AI Energy Council, led by Kyle and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, to address the energy demands associated with AI technologies.

The Conservative Party has criticized the government’s plans, arguing they won’t position the UK as a tech and science superpower. Shadow Science Secretary Alan Mak accused Labour of cutting £1.3 billion in funding for AI research and the development of the country’s first next-generation supercomputer, calling it an “analogue government in a digital age.”

However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the plans, stating that AI would serve as a powerful tool to boost the economy, improve public services, and create new opportunities to enhance living standards.