Rishi Sunak aims for Britain to become a science and technology superpower by harnessing the potential of AI. While Britain has advantages such as important AI companies, excellent universities, and access to vast amounts of data, there are challenges to overcome. The dominance of American tech firms and the loss of access to the EU’s single market due to Brexit are concerns. To prosper in AI, Britain needs more experts in government, clean and accessible public datasets, flexible regulations, and adequate compute resources. The government should encourage commercial providers to invest in GPU clusters, ensure a reliable power supply, and support open-source software development to break Nvidia’s monopoly in the AI market.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britain aims to become an AI superpower | From lagging behind in AI to leading | Britain is a global leader in AI | Economic growth and technological advancement |
| Britain has advantages in AI | From limited AI capabilities to thriving | More AI companies and skilled workers in UK | Access to data and regulatory opportunities |
| Challenges for Britain to lead in AI | From obstacles to opportunities | Increased expertise and government support | Government investment and policy changes |
| Government’s role in AI development | From limited involvement to active | Government promotes AI research and innovation | Fostering economic growth and competitiveness |
| Clean and accessible public datasets | From unrefined to refined data | Availability of clean and updated datasets | Government intervention and regulation |
| Pragmatic AI regulation in the UK | From permissive to balanced rules | UK sets flexible rules for AI regulation | Hosting a global summit on AI regulation |
| Access to compute power for AI development | From limited availability to sufficient | Increased GPU clusters in the UK | Government incentives and partnerships |
| Reliable and affordable power supply | From limited to abundant power | Access to cheap and clean power | Infrastructure development and investment |
| Breaking the monopoly in the AI market | From monopolistic to competitive market | More chipmakers compete with Nvidia | Open-source software development and funding |