The UK has an opportunity to lead the world in establishing the
framework for safe AI and must act now, according to a new report
on the opportunities and risks of AI, published today by the
Institute for Global Change as
part of the Future of Britain initiative.
The new report, A New National Purpose: AI
Promises A World-Leading Future of Britain
co-authored by and , provides a comprehensive
plan for what the UK needs to do to radically change the way
government uses data and technology to drive down the cost of
public services, while improving outcomes for the public.
It outlines how the UK can chart a course to becoming an AI
superpower with practical steps including:
- Increasing the UK’s compute capacity to be ten times greater
than currently envisaged
- Improving government capacity to reach exascale computing –
ultra-powerful supercomputing - within a year, rather than 2026
- Diverting funds towards science-and-technology infrastructure
- Overhauling government machinery
- Establishing a national laboratory to work with the private
sector and other nations
- Working with the United States and other allies to push for a
new UN framework on urgent safeguards
- Tackling the immediate threat of widespread disinformation
- Working with the European Union to develop a model of
regulation aligned with US standards that becomes highly
attractive for startups, bringing talent and investment to the
country
In a joint foreword, and said:
“This report describes what this country will need to do to be a
world leader in the safe and successful development of artificial
intelligence, a matter becoming so urgent and important that how
we respond is more likely than anything else to determine
Britain’s future.
“Society is about to be radically reshaped, requiring a more
strategic state and a fundamental change in how we plan for the
future. These ideas are intended to help all political parties
find the best way forward, with the necessary speed and sense of
priority, in a period of dramatic change and opportunity that has
already begun.”
Lead author Benedict Macon-Cooney said:
“AI is an era-defining technology and the nations that can
harness its potential will be the ones to define the future.
“We’re racing against time and every step and decision has to be
taken at speed but with clear goals; to put in place critical,
foundational AI infrastructure and to drive the growth of the
next generation of superstar companies.
“Existing institutional approaches to AI are not working and the
UK cannot miss out on the wave of innovation that safe,
democratic AI can bring. By investing in talent, public data and
promoting research, the UK can become a leader in the deployment
of these technologies into the real world for the public good.”
The report calls for urgent steps in three main areas:
-
Major changes in how government is organised, works
with the private sector, promotes research, draws on expertise
and receives advice. Recommendations to achieve this
include:
- Securing multi-decade investment in
science-and-technology infrastructure and talent and research
programmes by reprioritising large amounts of capital
expenditure.
- Boosting how Number 10 operates, dissolving the AI
Council and empowering the Foundation Model Taskforce by
having it report directly to the Prime Minister.
- Sharpening the Office for Artificial Intelligence so that
it provides better foresight function and agility for
government to deal with technological change.
-
Build UK as a leader in the development of safe,
reliable and cutting-edge AI – in collaboration with its
allies. Recommendations to achieve this include
creating Sentinel, a national laboratory effort focused on
researching and testing safe AI, with the aim of becoming the
“brain” for both a UK and an international AI regulator.
-
Pioneer the deployment and use of this technology in
the real world, building next-generation companies and creating
a 21st-century strategic state. Recommendations to
achieve this include:
- Launching major AI-talent programmes.
- Requiring a tiered-access approach to compute provision
under which access to larger amounts of compute comes with
additional requirements to demonstrate responsible use.
- Requiring generative-AI companies to label the synthetic
media they produce as deepfakes and social-media platforms to
remove unlabelled deepfakes.
- Building AI-era infrastructure, including compute
capacity and remodelling data as a public asset with the
creation of highly valuable, public-good data sets.
The report follows A New National Purpose:
Innovation Can Power the Future of Britain, published in
February 2023, which set out how the United Kingdom could be at
the forefront of breakthroughs in science and technology.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Future of Britain Initiative
- For Britain to thrive we need to kickstart growth and deliver
a new era of invention and innovation. We need to move beyond
tired and conflicting visions of the past and craft the policies
that genuinely tackle the challenges we face today head-on while
positioning Britain for growth so we can invest in the public
services and the future we all deserve and were
promised.
- The UK needs to become a nimbler and more strategic state.
One that thinks radically, takes greater risks and builds policy
fit for the long-term. One that recognises the power of
technology and harnesses it so we can reshape how the state
incentivises growth, delivers for individuals and communities and
drives the economy.
- Our experts are landing on the key catalysts for reform. The
ideas with practical policy recommendations for implementation,
that will reshape the state so it is equipped to deal with new
challenges and position Britain to succeed based on her strengths
and global position today.
- TBI published its paper on pensions reform earlier this
month. Today, we are pointing to the power of AI and the
political imperative there is now to drive the debate. More of
the cross-cutting and catalytic areas for growth we feel demand
focus and reform will follow.
- The Future of Britain is about moving beyond articulating
challenges to landing a blueprint for everything we must do to
get beyond the challenges of today and to a brighter
tomorrow.
