Image source: Simon Dawson, No 10 Downing Street, Open Government Licence v3.0
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has written to Cabinet ministers telling them to make the adoption of AI a top priority for their departments.
It is one of a raft of measures announced today as a major effort to boost the development and use of AI in the UK public and private sectors, both to increase efficiency in public services and add new momentum to economic growth.
This involves the Government accepting all 50 recommendations set out in the new AI Opportunities Action Plan produced by tech entrepreneur and chair of the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency Matt Clifford.
The Government highlighted the potential for AI in public services, saying it could speed up planning consultations, reduce the administrative load on teachers and combined with cameras to spot potholes and improve roads.
It said a new ‘digital centre of government’ in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will place a focus on how AI is used in the public sector, scanning for new ideas, running pilot projects and scaling them as far as they can go.
Government response
Extra detail in the Government's formal response to Clifford's plan includes employing a flexible 'scan, pilot, scale' approach to AI in public services, the scaling up of pilots such as those developed by the Incubator for AI, and the appointment of AI champions in the sectors highlighted in the Industrial Strategy.
Elements of 'scan, pilot, scale ' will include the appointment of AI leads for each government mission, developing a cross-government market intelligence capability, exploring partnerships with AI vendors and start-ups, and developing a framework for sourcing AI and a protoyping capability.
Other elements of the plan include increasing public compute capacity twentyfold to provide the computing power to support the technology, beginning with the creation of a new supercomputer.
DSIT is to publish a 10-year compute plan during the spring, from a commitment to rapidly develop and implement a long term strategy bringing together the key ingredients for AI – compute, data, and skills. This will include a focus on the relevant security and sustainability issues.
Developing AI talent is on the agenda, with a drive to create scholarship and fellowship programmes, and a plan to upskill the existing workforce through the Curriculum and Assessment Review. In addition, DSIT and Department for Education will work with higher education bodies to develop courses on AI.
Data developments
The response points to the development of a National Data Library to make public sector data available for research and innovation. It will be accompanied by efforts to strategically shape what data is collected, provide guidelines on releasing open government data for AI, and building a public sector data collection infrastructure.
There will also be the establishment of an AI Energy Council, chaired by the science and energy secretaries of state, working with energy companies to understand the sector’s energy challenges; and new AI Growth Zones will be set up, where planning approvals for data centres will be speeded up and access provided to the energy grid.
The first of these will be in Culham, Oxfordshire – home to the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority. This will also serve a testing ground for research on how sustainable energy such as fusion can be used for AI.
This will all be supported by the creation of an AI Knowledge Hub containing guidance on best practice, case studies and open source solutions.
Incredible change
Starmer said: “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. 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.
“But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.”
The Government also pointed to estimates from the International Monetary Fund that if AI is fully embraced it can boost productivity by as much as 1.5% per year. This could be worth an average of up to £47 billion per year to the UK over the next decade.
Data protection issue
In response to the announcement, the Information Commissioner's Office highlighted the need to preserve data protection standards
Its executive director for regulatory risk, Stephen Almond, said: “AI has huge potential to transform businesses and public services, which is why it is a priority area for the ICO. Data protection is essential to realising this opportunity and ensuring that the public can have trust in AI. As a whole economy regulator, we are committed to supporting organisations to innovate and grow responsibly while upholding people’s rights and freedoms.
“To provide businesses with the certainty they need to innovate safely, we have already published detailed guidance on emerging AI issues, as well as providing practical support through initiatives such as our Regulatory Sandbox and collaboration with fellow regulators in the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum on the AI and Digital Hub."
Wider risks
The Ada Lovelace Institute also highlighted the issue along with the wider risk possibilities. Its director , Gaia Marcus, commented: “The public also have nuanced and often strong views on the use of their data, particularly in areas such as health.
"In light of past backlash against medical data sharing, the Government must continue to think carefully about the circumstances under which this kind of sharing will be acceptable to the public. Greater public engagement and deliberation will help in understanding their views.
“The piloting of AI throughout the public sector will have real world impacts on people. We look forward to hearing more about how departments will be incentivised to implement these systems safely as they move at pace, and what provisions will enable the timely sharing of what has worked and – crucially – what hasn’t.
“Just as the Government is investing heavily in realising the opportunities presented by AI, it must also invest in responding to AI’s negative impacts now and in the future.
"It is critical that the Government look beyond a narrow subset of extreme risks and bring forward a credible vehicle and roadmap for addressing broader AI harms. This will benefit all people at risk of those harms, and secure their trust so that the positive impacts of these technologies can be felt widely.”
Further detail added to story around midday on 13 January after publication of action plan and Government response.
