AI a priority in UK’s digital strategy
By GovInsider
Digital strategy includes US$21.5 mn fund for universities to research AI and robotics.
The UK Government will look into the potential of Artificial Intelligence in a review of its digital strategy to be launched today. It is expected to include a £17.3 mn (US$21.5 mn) investment fund for UK universities to research robotics and AI.
The review will be led by Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton and Jerome Pesenti, CEO of BenevolentTech, the tech division of a British AI firm.
“There has been a lot of unwarranted negative hype around Artificial Intelligence, but it has the ability to drive enormous growth for the UK economy, create jobs, foster new skills, positively transform every industry and retain Britain’s status as a world leader in innovative technology”, said Pesenti.
AI is projected to add an additional US$814 billion to the UK’s economy in 2035, according to a research by Accenture. In Japan, it is forecasted to bring in an additional US$2.1 trillion to the economy.
A Deloitte report last year said that at least 861,000 UK public sector jobs will be lost by 2030 due to robotics and artificial intelligence.