Starmer unveils plan to make UK ‘world leader’ in AI

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is due Monday to outline an “action plan” to make the UK “the world leader” in artificial intelligence and spark Britain’s flagging economy.

His Labour administration said AI would be “unleashed” across the whole of the country, with the “full weight” of its half a million strong civil service getting behind the endeavour.

“Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country,” Starmer said in a statement late Sunday.

“From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.”

Starmer was due to lay out fuller details of Britain’s approach to AI technology, which is raising complex questions for governments around the world, during a speech later on Monday.

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In Sunday’s press release ahead of the address, the premier said the AI industry “needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers”.

“In a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.

“Our plan will make Britain the world leader,” he insisted.

The government’s 50 proposals include creating what it calls “dedicated AI growth zones” designed to speed up planning proposals for data centres and other AI infrastructure.

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It also plans to increase server capacity twentyfold by 2030, including by building “a brand new supercomputer with enough AI power to play itself at chess half a million times a second”.

The government said the proposals would mean the public sector would spend less time “doing admin”.

It noted that hospitals were already using AI to help diagnose breast cancer quicker and said AI had the potential to spot potholes and help improve roads.

Starmer’s administration added that AI could be worth £47 billion ($57 billion) to the UK each year over a decade.

It announced that three tech companies – Vantage Data Centres, Nscale and Kyndryl – had committed to spending £14 billion on AI in the UK, leading to the creation of more than 13,000 jobs.

Starmer has put firing up Britain’s economy at the heart of his agenda since taking office last July.

But weaker-than-expected growth, rising borrowing costs and a falling pound is complicating his task, meaning he could be forced to make spending cuts or hike taxes this year.

Countries are trying to figure out how to harness the benefits of AI while also regulating the technology amid fears that robots could one day outsmart humans if left unchecked.

AI is also increasingly being blamed for the spread online of misinformation and deepfake pornography.