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The UK’s National AI Strategy sets out a plan for the next decade to reshape industries, drive economic growth and impact every aspect of life.
As a global AI superpower, the UK aims to lead in research and innovation, harness global talent and promote a progressive regulatory and business environment.
The strategy builds on the UK’s previous successes in the AI sector, notably supported by the 2017 Industrial Strategy and the nearly £1 billion AI Industry Deal established in April 2018.
The current strategy is an important step forward in recognizing the role of AI in enhancing resilience, productivity, growth, and innovation in both the private and public sectors.
The UK’s national AI strategy is based on three core objectives:
- Long-term investment: To maintain its leadership in AI, the UK needs to invest in the needs of the AI ecosystem, develop talent, enhance access to data and computing resources, and promote access to funding and customers.
- Broad adoption: The strategy envisages AI as a force that empowers all members of society across all regions, sectors and businesses in the UK.
- Effective governance: The regulatory framework will promote innovation while protecting the public interest.
The UK’s 10-year vision aims to position the country as an ideal place to live and work for AI, guided by precise rules, ethical principles and a regulatory environment that is conducive to innovation.
This requires international collaboration to use AI responsibly, championing global standards that align with UK values, and resisting the misuse of AI. Crucially, the strategy focuses on investment in AI skills, data and infrastructure, and strengthening R&D to support innovators at all stages. It also aims to enable AI researchers from around the world to work in the UK through a variety of visa routes.
The AI Commission played an important role in shaping the National AI Strategy, emphasizing adaptability to future technological change, and promoting the continued success of AI investments by guiding and implementing the strategy and providing expert advice to leadership within government and the AI ecosystem.
The commission was established in 2019 to ensure the UK remains a leader in AI development and policy.
The UK wants to be a globally competitive, AI-first economy, with AI-driven innovation benefiting all regions and sectors, including healthcare, transport and everyday life.
Main Participants
In 2022, the UK ranked third in terms of private investment, behind only the US and China. Between 2019 and 2021, investment in AI grew fivefold, driven by large tech companies such as Microsoft, Google and IBM, as well as local companies such as DeepMind (acquired by Google in 2014) and Quadrature.
However, this rapid growth is accompanied by a tightening of investments in seed and venture stage companies, particularly in 2022, which is expected to have an impact on startups, small companies and SMEs.
The UK government is rapidly catching up to the levels of AI investment in the US and China. In 2022, the UK announced a $1.3 billion plan to support the AI industry, in addition to its existing $2.8 billion investment. This plan will help to build a national research resource, making cutting-edge AI R&D available to UK academia, rather than being limited to the private sector as in the US.
The UK’s investment structure is similar to that of the US, with private and large tech companies outweighing government investment. For example, the UK’s new public research agency, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), has a budget of just £800 million, a pittance compared to the private sector.
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