Report outlines recommendations for UK to advance in AI

An independent report commissioned by the UK government on ‘Growing the artificial intelligence industry in the UK’ estimates that artificial intelligence (AI) could add USD $814 billion (£630bn) to the country’s economy by 2035, increasing the annual growth rate of gross value added (GVA) from 2.5 to 3.9%. To achieve this, and transform the UK into ‘the best place in the world for businesses developing and deploying AI to start, grow, and thrive’, the report outlines a series of recommendations, especially for the government. Among them: increasing ease of access to data in various sectors; larger workforce with deep AI expertise and more development of lower level skills to work with AI (to be achieved through AI-focused masters, PhD programmes, continuing professional development courses, and an international fellowship programme for AI in the UK, among others); more research on AI in different application areas (including through transforming the Alan Turing Institute into a national institute for AI and data science), and coordinated research capabilities; the creation of an AI Council to promote growth and coordination in AI; developing a framework for explaining processes, services, and decisions enabled by AI; and developing practical guidance on the opportunities and challenges of successful adoption of AI across the UK economy.