Earlier today (Monday 13th January), the Prime Minister set out one of the ways the government will be trying to grow the economy, through widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI). Kier Starmer plans for AI to be used in the NHS, schools, and elsewhere.
The AI Opportunities Action Plan
The AI Opportunities Action Plan, created by AI adviser, Matt Clifford, has now been released. It outlines 50 recommendations for the government to grow the UK’s AI sector and drive the adoption of AI across the economy to increase growth and improve products and services. You can read this plan in full here.
When delivering a speech on this plan earlier today, Starmer described AI as a “force for change that will transform the lives of working people for the better.”
He argued that AI is not a thing of the future, but something that is already present and is “a chance to turbocharge growth, create the companies of the future and radically improve our public services.”
Data center projects worth £14 billion have been announced as part of this plan, and the government has said that these projects will create 13,250 jobs.
Proposals
Some specific proposals within the government’s AI plan are to:
- Use AI within the public sector to allow workers to spend less time doing administrative tasks. An example was given of teachers being able to spend more time with pupils if they didn’t have to dedicate as much time to admin, allowing them to reconnect with the human aspects of their jobs
- Create AI Growth Zones, which will involve big building projects and creation of jobs
- Use AI through cameras around the UK to inspect roads and spot potholes that need fixing
- Continue to use AI in UK hospitals for important tasks, with an example being given of AI being used for stroke patients, allowing the location of blood clots to be found very quickly, speeding up treatment time as a result
Safety Measures
However, due to AI’s rapid advancement, there has always been a fear regarding the potential loss of control and possible job displacement.
The automation of tasks can bring with it widespread job losses, and as AI systems become increasingly sophisticated, there are concerns that it may begin to act against human interests.
Starmer has said that the government will build on the AI safety institute introduced by the previous government and stated that later this month, the UK will lead the first ever global AI safety test.
“we shouldn’t just focus on safety and leave the rest to the market. Government has a responsibility to make it work for working people. And the opportunities for this technology, they’re not just going to somehow fall into out lap. This is the global race of our lives.” – Kier Starmer
The Prime Minister also posed the question of what Britain will be: AI Makers (making AI breakthroughs and exporting them, which is what he wants us to be) or AI Takers (buying those breakthroughs and importing them).
These proposals also raise the question of how much time and money will be needed to make these plans a reality.