- In a keynote speech set out why AI is key to this country's
economic prosperity and national security
- The Tech Secretary says UK must build up its AI sector and work with allies
or risk losing out on race for the future
- Government to develop a UK AI hardware plan to secure
Britain's future capability in chips and the semiconductor
technologies that underpins AI
Britain must act now to cement its place in the new technological
era, Technology Secretary said today.
In a landmark speech, the Technology Secretary said there must be
a “decisive move” towards backing more British tech companies as
AI reshapes global
power, security and prosperity.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), she warned
that nations which fail to master the defining technology of
their age risk ceding control over their security and economic
future.
She said history shows that the countries which pull ahead are
those that master the defining currency of their age - from
navies and railways to power grids.
Today, that currency is technology: chips, computing power and
artificial intelligence, which are increasingly becoming engines
of both economic power and hard power.
The Tech Secretary noted that 70 per cent of global AI compute is now controlled by
just 5 companies.
Control over where AI systems are built, how they
operate and who ultimately controls them is now fundamental to
economic security, energy security and defence security.
The Cabinet Minister will argue that Britain is uniquely placed
to flourish in this new era because of our huge AI strengths and deep
international alliances.
The UK not only has a $1 trillion tech sector, world‑leading
universities and research institutions but is also home to
globally influential institutions such as the AI Security Institute, which is
shaping international approaches to AIsafety and security.
As part of a more muscular approach, the UK government will back
British strengths in the parts of the AI stack where the UK can build
real leverage.
Focussing on a few select things that the country does better
than anyone - so crucial that we can never be cut out - from
frontier research and companies, to compute, skills and
infrastructure - while working closely with allies to shape the
global AI ecosystem.
To strengthen the UK's position in this race for the future, the
Technology Secretary announced that the government will develop a
UK AI hardware plan
to secure Britain's capability in chips and the semiconductor
technologies that underpin the full AI hardware stack.
She stressed this is not about isolation or trying to build
everything alone, but about ensuring Britain is indispensable in
the technologies that will define the future - a keystone in
the global AI
architecture rather than a bystander to decisions taken
elsewhere.
Speaking earlier today the Technology Secretary said:
This government believes AI Sovereignty is not about
isolationism or attempting to pull up the drawbridge and go it
alone.
We will continue to use the best technology and welcome inward
investment because that's what our public services and economy
demand.
For Britain, AI
sovereignty is about reducing over dependencies and increasing
resilience in key national strategic priorities, as the Prime
Minister has rightly argued.
So we secure greater control and greater leverage over the issues
that matter most.
And if you want leverage for your country, you need to
be a keystone in the global tech architecture – an
indispensable partner. This requires 2 key shifts in our
approach.
First, a decisive move towards backing more British AI companies, especially in
areas where we have real strengths.
And second, by working more closely with our international
partners, particularly other so-called middle power nations,
including on setting the standards for how AI deployed.
The Technology Secretary rejected calls to pause the development
of artificial intelligence, describing such a move as “a double
betrayal” of British talent and British interests. Warning that
retreating from progress would mean retreating from the world,
the minister argued that the real choice facing the country is
not between a world with AI and one without, but between
a Britain that shapes its own AI future and one left at its
mercy.
She pointed to a new generation of British founders and investors
committed to building ambitious and responsible AI, alongside a government
prepared to move quickly and work in new ways, citing the
AI Institute and
Sovereign AIas
examples.
Britain stands on the cusp of a technological British
renaissance. The Technology Secretary urged the government,
alongside the country's scientists and founders, to seize the
opportunity for the benefit of the economy, national security,
and to “build a future that works for all.”
