The rise of AI could be a great British story. But let’s do it the right way
It’s easy to miss good news amid coverage of the pandemic, the rising cost of living and the, ahem, rest. However, the United Kingdom is getting something right.
On Thursday, the government announced that it is investing up to £23m to boost artificial intelligence (AI) skills by creating up to 2,000 scholarships across England. This will fund masters conversion courses for people from non-Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees.
“This will attract a less homogeneous group,” explains Tabitha Goldstaub, who chairs the government’s AI council and advises the Alan Turing Institute, “which means the UK AI ecosystem benefits from graduates with different backgrounds, perspectives and life experiences”.
This investment in widening education and opportunity is just one of several steps in the 10-year AI national strategy, which aims to make Britain a world leader in AI. We’re not the only ones; as the AI dashboard at the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) shows, many other countries have their eye on the same prize.
The frontrunners in this race, the United States and China, have bigger populations and deeper pockets, while the European Union has an impressive record in setting global norms and rules for data protection. To have any hope of keeping up, at the very least the UK must find a way to punch above its weight.
The signs are promising. AI is already an unstoppable force in our economy. According to Tech Nation, there are more than 1,300 AI companies in the United Kingdom. Research commissioned by the government and published last month shows UK businesses spent around £63bn on AI technology and AI-related labour in 2020 alone. This figure is expected to reach more than £200bn by 2040, when it
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