Will the Government's AI Opportunities Action Plan work for working people?

During a speech announcing the Government's plans to roll out AI across the UK in an effort to boost growth, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that AI presents a “vast potential” for rejuvenating UK public services, while the Government had a responsibility to make AI “work for working people”.

We spoke with leading Henley academics for their views.

Dr Rodrigo Perez-Vega

The goal to position the UK as an AI maker and not an AI taker is ambitious and worth pursuing to ensure the competitiveness of the UK economy in the coming years. This requires investment from both private and public sectors, as well as an environment where bold ideas can be tested and scaled.

Given the ambition of these plans, careful consideration is needed regarding how these technologies will impact the workplace long term, as this technological reshaping will have a profound impact on the job opportunities of the future.

Dr Fabio Goncalves de Oliveira

The UK’s official stance on AI as an opportunity to drive strategic economic growth is both exciting and timely. Public and private sectors stand to benefit significantly from AI advancements and innovation, particularly through the use of widely available digitalised public data. Entrepreneurship can be revitalised through fewer constraints, increased public funding, reduced bureaucracy, lower taxes, and more flexible regulations—all of which could incentivise innovation and potentially attract greater investment in start-ups that use and develop AI as part of their core value proposition.

However, a clear strategic plan, along with defined rules and an incentive scheme to strengthen information systems infrastructure, computing power, networks, and the rapid upskilling of the workforce, is essential. This plan must be implemented urgently. Attracting top talent is no easy task, while upskilling the local younger generation of professionals is a Herculean challenge that demands strong partnerships both nationally and internationally.

Professor Keiichi Nakata

In my view, the Government response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan is a very positive and exciting one that lays out clearer action plans compared to previous UK government policies on AI. In particular, the pledge to make sovereign data more accessible for public good such as health data to advance AI solutions is encouraging, while recognising the importance of AI safety.

The Government’s commitment to develop skills and talents in AI supports our new MSc in Applied AI for Business we are planning to launch this Autumn – I am looking forward to further funding in this area. All in all, it is a welcoming response for a wide of range of stakeholders involved in AI for them to push their initiatives forward.

Dr Keith Arundale

This AI Action Plan launched today is to be welcomed though the Prime Minister's determination that "the UK will be the best place to start and scale an AI business" is perhaps somewhat ambitious as the USA has so much more firepower in terms of the financial resources from venture capitalists and other investors to scale-up companies. Until monies are unlocked from UK pension schemes to fund innovative ventures scale-up financing will continue to be in short supply; a good start is being made here with the Mansion House Compact (a voluntary industry-led initiative to secure better financial
outcomes for Defined Contribution (DC) savers by increasing pension investment into unlisted equity).

The UK certainly has the creativity, knowledge and drive to foster many new AI businesses. Under the Governments plans AI start-ups and scale-ups in these zones should see speedy planning approvals for data centres, better access to the energy grid and the raised profile to attract investment globally. UK investment returns for venture capital funds are now commensurate with those achieved in the USA, making the UK an attractive proposition for investors such as pension funds where VC returns are consistently higher than for other asset classes. We need these funds to invest in those AI businesses that will form the billion dollar success stories of the future.