The UK must “master” AI, the “defining currency of the age” to secure its position in history, according to Technology Secretary Liz Kendall in the announcement for a new AI hardware plan.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Kendall warned that if the UK fails to master chips, compute and AI, it will fall behind globally, describing the technologies as akin to navies and railways historically.
Kendall said the government would be taking a stronger approach to supporting British AI by focusing on the elements that the country can be best at, including frontier research.
As part of the government’s support of the domestic AI sector, Kendall announced the launch of the UK AI hardware plan that aims to secure the country’s capability and supply of semiconductors and other necessary infrastructure underpinning AI.
This forms part of a wider government plan to encourage AI sovereignty, which included the launch of a £500m Sovereign AI Fund this month.
“For Britain, AI sovereignty is about reducing over dependencies and increasing resilience in key national strategic priorities, as the Prime Minister has rightly argued,” Kendall said.
“So we secure greater control and greater leverage over the issues that matter most, and if you want leverage for your country, you need to be a keystone in the global tech architecture – an indispensable partner.”
Kendall said this requires “two key shifts” in the government’s approach.
“First, a decisive move towards backing more British AI companies, especially in areas where we have real strengths and second, by working more closely with our international partners, particularly other so-called middle power nations, including on setting the standards for how AI is deployed.”
