Government’s AI Opportunity Action Plan to start in Oxfordshire

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The Prime Minister unveiled the government’s AI Opportunity Action Plan earlier today (January 13) as he seeks to make Britain a world leader in the sector.

He 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.

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

The plan will take forward all 50 recommendations made by tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford – who was commissioned in July by Science Secretary Peter Kyle to identify AI opportunities.

Science Secretary Peter KyleScience Secretary Peter Kyle (Image: Aaron Chown/PA) The government will create a series of AI “growth zones,” starting in Culham, where planning approvals for data centres will be accelerated and access to the energy grid will be improved.

The UK’s compute capacity will be increased 20-fold by 2030, the government has pledged, including the construction of a new supercomputer.

A national data library of public sector data will also be created to train AI models.

Mr Clifford said: “This is a plan which puts us all-in – backing the potential of AI to grow our economy, improve lives for citizens, and make us a global hub for AI investment and innovation.”

The government is not only hoping to attract AI investment with its action plan, but also to spur the adoption of the technology across Whitehall to improve productivity and cut costs.

Sir Keir has instructed Cabinet ministers to make driving AI adoption and growth in their departments a top priority.

Alexander Iosad, director of government innovation at the Tony Blair Institute, welcomed the plan, saying AI could “help take care of drudgery in the public sector,” aiding the retention of staff who are currently “overwhelmed and overworked”.

Ministers have described the action plan as a sharp change from the approach of the previous government, which they say focused too much on safety and not enough on the opportunities AI provided.

Mr Kyle said: “AI has the potential to change all of our lives but for too long we have been curious and often cautious bystanders to the change unfolding around us.

“With this plan, we become agents of that change.”

Alongside Monday’s announcement, the government revealed tech companies had committed a total of £14 billion of investment in AI infrastructure in the UK, expected to create 13,250 jobs.

This includes a £12 billion commitment from Vantage Data Centres and £2.5 billion from Nscale.



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