Keir Starmer sets out plan to make UK world leader in AI sector

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveils ambitious action plan to turn the UK into an AI superpower.

February 3, 2025
Simon Kirrane

Photo from Simon Dawson, No 10 Downing Street.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled an ambitious plan to turn the United Kingdom into a world leader in the AI sector.

During a speech delivered at University College London’s Manufacturing Futures Lab on 13 January 2025, the Prime Minister outlined the specifics of his administration's ‘AI Opportunities Action Plan’.

This strategic framework endorses all 50 recommendations proposed by technology entrepreneur Max Clifford, who was commissioned by Science Secretary Peter Kyle to formulate a plan for exploring ‘untapped AI opportunities’ shortly after the Labour Party assumed power in July 2024. 

Key elements of the plan, which is backed by leading tech firms, include the establishment of AI Growth Zones, the creation of a National Data Library, the formation of an AI Energy Council, and the development of a new supercomputer to boost computing power.

It’s a marked change from the cautious, safety-first approach adopted by previous UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, with Starmer promising that his government “would not sit back passively and wait for change to come” when it came to AI, but rather “harness it and make it work for working people”.

Starmer hopes that by turning the UK into an AI superpower it can turbocharge growth and boost living standards. If the strategy is successful, the government anticipates that AI could contribute £47 billion annually to the economy.

"Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people,” said Starmer during the landmark speech.

"But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won't sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.”

The AI Opportunities Action Plan is divided into three main pillars:

1. Laying the foundations for AI to flourish in the UK.

2. Boosting adoption across public and private sectors.

3. Keeping the UK ahead of the pack.

Its unveiling means that Starmer is the fifth UK prime minister to vow to make the UK a “world leader” in artificial intelligence, following Rishi Sunak in 2023, Boris Johnson in 2019, Theresa May in 2018 and David Cameron in 2014.

According to a recent evaluation by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, the UK is currently third in AI innovation, behind the US and China – although it’s considered to be significantly trailing both of these technological powerhouses.

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