The UK Government has said it will “take forward” all 50 recommendations made by tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford, who was commissioned by Science Secretary Peter Kyle in July to come up with a plan to identify opportunities.
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That includes a commitment to significantly expand the UK’s sovereign computing power by 20 times by 2030 to support AI research and development.
To achieve this, they will “now start delivery of a new state of the art supercomputing facility” with a site and suppliers to be secured this year.
The SNP MSP David Torrance said it would be a “betrayal” if this facility was located anywhere other than the University of Edinburgh.
Last August, the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology pulled the plug on an £800 million exascale non-AI supercomputing project at the University, claiming it had been unfunded by the previous government.
A Labour source claimed the project made “little strategic sense.”
While the UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan specifically mentions exascale computing, it says this is distinct from the computing power needed for AI workloads.
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University told The Herald his institution, which “has been at the heart of the research and development of AI for the past 60 years,” was still ready to play its part.
The UK Government’s plan has three pillars, with the first looking at AI infrastructure, skills, data access, and the regulatory environment.
The second is about boosting the adoption of AI in the public and private sectors, with the government taking a “scan, pilot, scale” approach.
The third is about keeping the UK ahead of other countries by supporting companies at the cutting edge of the technology.
Specific actions include the establishment of AI Growth Zones, similar to investment zones, where planning regulations will be relaxed to allow for quick approval of data centres and infrastructure.
While the first of these zones will be in Oxford, the UK government plans to announce more in the summer of 2025.
In their response to Mr Clifford’s report, they identified “coastal Scotland” as a potential site for the zones, because of the access to clean power.
The UK Government will also create a national data library of public sector data that will be used to train AI models.
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In a speech in east London, Sir Keir said: “AI isn’t something locked away behind the walls of blue chip companies; it’s a force for change that will transform the lives of working people for the better.
“So if you’re sitting around the kitchen table tonight worrying about the opportunities at your children’s school, AI can help teachers plan a lesson tailored to your children’s specific needs.
“If you’re worried about waiting times – aren’t we all? AI can save hundreds of thousands of hours lost to missed appointments, because it can identify those on the list most likely not to turn up and help get them the support that they need, maybe change for a more convenient appointment.
“It can spot potholes quicker, speed up planning applications, reduce job centre form-filling, help with the fight against tax avoidance and almost halve the time that social workers spend on paperwork.”
He added: “Yes, there will be teething problems. Of course there will.
“But we can’t lose sight of the vast potential here.”
Sir Keir urged the public to be in “absolutely no doubt we will make sure that this technology is safe” but added that “when it comes to regulation, we will be pro-growth and pro-innovation”.
“We will go our own way on this,” he said.
“Mark my words, Britain will be one of the great AI superpowers.”
Sir Keir has personally written to Cabinet ministers ordering them to make driving AI adoption and growth in their departments a top priority.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the union was worried about “AI’s pitfalls.”
She added: “Our members are already reporting major changes to working conditions due to the introduction of AI, which creates new risks and all too often results in workers feeling alienated and demotivated.
“We also have serious concerns about matters such as AI-powered surveillance and discrimination by algorithm, particularly with ‘high-risk’ decisions like recruitment, performance assessments and discipline.”