Context: The UK is home to the third-largest AI market in the world, with companies such as Google Deepmind and autonomous driving firm Wayve headquartered in London. It is therefore no surprise that the UK government has brought AI to the forefront of its agenda, including via actions by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the introduction of new legislation, such as the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. In May, the CMA laid out an expansive standard under which a wide range of commercial AI partnerships could be subjected to review under the country’s merger review regime (May 21, 2024 ai fray article). A couple of months later, it issued a joint statement on GenAI with the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and European Commission, reaffirming its commitment to a fair GenAI market (July 23, 2024 ai fray article). As part of efforts to ensure the UK “shapes the AI revolution rather than see how it shapes [it]”, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle commissioned British entrepreneur Matt Clifford to put together 50 recommendations for the government.
What’s new: The UK government today published the “AI Opportunities Action Plan” report, which introduces an array of proposals that will “mainline AI into the veins” of the UK (January 13, 2025 UK government report). The report notes that “for too long, [the UK] has allowed blockers to control the public discourse and get in the way of growth in this sector” and this plan will end that by creating dedicated AI Growth Zones that speed up planning permission and give them the energy connections they need to power up AI.
Direct impact and wider ramifications: The report has already been widely welcomed by the AI industry, with individuals from companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, Anthropic and Wayve all publicly expressing their support. OpenAI chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane, for example, commented: “The government’s AI action plan recognises where AI development is headed and sets the UK on the right path to benefit from its growth.” If AI is “fully embraced”, the report notes that it could boost the UK economy by up to £47 million every year for the next decade. However, while the report reiterates that the UK wants to be a “leader” in AI and not one that follows, it notes several times that it must look to the US and EU for inspiration – including regarding the reform of its text and data mining regime.
Mr. Clifford notes in his report that the 50 recommendations were designed to help the UK become “irresistible” to AI firms looking to start, scale, or grow their business, and were looking to accomplish three main goals:
- Invest in the foundations of AI: bringing in world-class computing and data infrastructure, access to talent and regulation.
- Push hard on cross-economy AI adoption: the public sector should rapidly pilot and scale AI products and services and encourage the private sector to do the same. This will drive better experiences and outcomes for citizens and boost productivity.
- Position the UK to be an AI maker, not an AI taker: as the technology becomes more powerful, the UK should be the best state partner to those building frontier AI. The UK should aim to have true national champions at critical layers of the AI stack so that the UK benefits economically from AI advancement and has an influence on future AI values, safety and governance.
They were also put together with a number of “principles” in mind, such as being “on the side of innovators”. In every element of the plan, the government should ask itself: “Does this benefit people and organisations trying to do new and ambitious things in the UK?” If not, we will fail to meet our potential, he writes. Mr. Clifford also emphasises investing in becoming a “great customer”. He explains:
“Government purchasing power can be a huge lever for improving public services, shaping new markets in AI, and boosting the domestic ecosystem.”
There are five key proposed changes in the report:
- The launch of a new data library to safely and securely unlock the value of public data and support AI development. As this is developed, the report recommends that the government reforms the UK text and data mining regime so it is “at least as competitive as the EU”. The EU has moved forward with an approach that is designed to support AI innovation while also enabling rights holders to have control over the use of content they produce. “The UK is falling behind,” the report says.
- As part of the development of the new data library, the report also says the government should actively incentivise and reward researchers and industry to curate and unlock private data sets – and establish a copyright-cleared British media asset training data set, which can be licensed internationally at scale.
- Establish AI “growth zones”: these zones will streamline planning approvals for data centers and improve access to the energy grid. The first one is due to be set up in Culham, Oxfordshire.
- Enhance computing capacity: Construct a new supercomputer to increase the country’s computing capabilities by twentyfold within the next five years.
- Leverage public sector data: The government plans to unlock datasets, including the archives of scans, biodata and anonymised patient records from the National Health Service, to train AI. “The availability of high-impact datasets is anticipated to attract significant investment and drive innovation in AI applications, particularly in healthcare,” it says.
“This government is determined that the UK is not left behind in the global race for AI,” Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said in a statement today. “In this next phase of AI development, we want Britain to step up; to shape the AI revolution rather than wait to see how it shapes us,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that the AI industry “needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers”. He added:
“Our plan will make Britain the world leader. It will give the industry the foundation it needs and will turbocharge the Plan for Change. That means more jobs and investment in the UK, more money in people’s pockets, and transformed public services.”
Industry reactions
A number of key players in the industry have welcomed the UK’s AI action plan. This includes Darren Hardman, CEO of Microsoft UK, who has said:
“The scale of this government’s ambition for AI development and adoption in the UK is exactly what’s needed to drive economic growth, transform public services and create new opportunities for all.”
Darktrace global chief information security officer Mike Beck has also expressed his support, noting that this plan has the potential to “turn AI into an engine for the UK economy”, while Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei has said he believes this plan could help the UK to become one of the “first and fastest governments in the world to transform how services are delivered to its citizens”.
Alex Kendall OBE, CEO of autonomous vehicle provider Wayve, said:
“Embodied AI in highly regulated sectors, like automated vehicles, will require international regulatory collaboration. I’m excited to see the government use the levers at its disposal to help make the UK’s leading AI startups winners on the global stage.”
OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane meanwhile said the UK has an enormous national resource in the talent of its people, institutions and businesses which together, can leverage AI to advance the country’s national interest.
Siobhan Wilson, senior vice president and UK country leader at Oracle added:
“AI is helping revolutionise the way businesses and the public sector operate. It enables new ways of working that can help drive innovation and success. The publication of the Action Plan is an important step to help continue AI adoption across the UK.”