- The Chancellor has today announced the creation of 2000 elite
AI scholarships for disadvantaged young people
- In what he described as a ‘sign of our ambition for the
future’ the new fund will create new opportunities to learn new
skills fit for the future economy
- New £34m fund will help UK become high-skilled economy and
create the jobs of the future
MP has today announced a new £34m National Artificial
Intelligence Fund that will support the creation of 2000 elite AI
scholarships for disadvantaged young people.
This government has already invested over £2.3 billion into a
range of AI initiatives and today we are taking a step further.
This fund will help us to build the skills we need for the jobs
of the future and will provide many young people with the
opportunity to have a leading role in that future.
There is a growing demand for skilled workers in AI and data
science and we are helping to meet that demand by doubling the
available scholarships for Artificial Intelligence and Data
Science Master’s conversion courses for disadvantaged students,
and also doubling the number of Turing World-Leading Researcher
Fellows.
The UK is already a global centre for AI innovation but there is
growing demand for skilled workers in AI and data science and we
know that the potential that these high-tech sectors have to grow
the economy.
, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:
“As the latest general-purpose technology, AI has the potential
to completely transform whole economies and societies. We want
the UK to be a scientific superpower but also a high-skilled,
high-tech economy.
“This new Fund will allow more young people from disadvantaged
backgrounds to learn new skills and train up for the jobs of
tomorrow in the new and exciting industries of the future such as
AI.”
Notes for Editors
- Today’s £34m announcement commits £23m to double the number of
available scholarships for AI and Data Science Master’s
conversion courses for disadvantaged students creating an
additional 2,000 scholarships, and £11m to double the number of
Turing World-Leading Researcher Fellows
- In April 2018, the Government launched a £1 billion Artificial
Intelligence Sector Deal to boost the UK’s global position as a
leader in developing AI technologies.
- We have also set up ‘The Office for AI’, with a mission to
drive responsible and innovative uptake of AI technologies.
- And earlier this month, the government published its AI
Strategy, recognising the power of AI to build productivity,
growth and innovation across both the public and private sectors.
- Last year, there was a 16 per cent increase for online AI and
Data Science job vacancies, and research found that 69 per cent
of these vacancies were hard to fill.
- The Turing fellowships are UK-wide and open to all. AI
conversion courses are England-only, with Barnett consequentials
to be confirmed at the forthcoming Spending Review
