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Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the potential of AI as he
outlined wide-ranging plans to harness the technology,
indicating that it will be a key part of his government’s
efforts to “turn around the economy” and jump-start lackluster
growth.
Starmer said he wanted to Britain to become “one of the great AI
superpowers” that can keep up with other countries like the
United States and China that have led advances in the
technology.
Under the 50-point plan, which provided few details on
investment amounts, the government plans to massively expand
public computing power, including by building a new national
supercomputer and setting up AI “growth zones” with
“streamlined” building approval process.
“So if you’re looking at where to build your data centers, we
will speed up planning permission if you need better access to
power,” Starmer said.
Britain's complex building permission rules are frequently
blamed for preventing development of big projects such as data
centers. After taking power in July, Starmer's Labour government
vowed to review decisions by local authorities to reject some
projects.
The government will also stick to its “pro-innovation” approach
to regulating AI, which involves giving responsibility to
existing industry regulators instead of drawing up a new set of
rules like the European Union has done. It will also continue to
support of U.K.’s AI Safety Institute, set up under Starmer’s
Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak to carry out research on
the most cutting-edge AI models and the existential but far-off
risks they pose.
“We will test and understand AI before we regulate it to make
sure that when we do it, it’s proportionate and grounded in the
science,” Starmer said.
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