The UK government has unveiled a comprehensive "AI Opportunities Action Plan" that aims to transform public services and boost economic growth through artificial intelligence. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the initiative on 13 January, backed by £14 billion in private sector investment from tech companies including Vantage Data Centres, Nscale, and Kyndryl.

Key Components

Infrastructure Development The plan includes establishing AI Growth Zones across the country, with Culham, Oxfordshire designated as the first zone. A new state-of-the-art supercomputer will be developed to enhance the nation's AI research capabilities.

Public Sector Integration A new digital centre within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will implement a 'Scan, Pilot, Scale' approach to AI adoption across public services. The government expects AI implementation to improve various aspects of public service delivery, from personalizing education to streamlining administrative tasks.

Economic Impact The International Monetary Fund estimates that widespread AI adoption could boost UK productivity by 1.5% annually, potentially generating £47 billion in economic benefits each year. The initiative is expected to create 13,250 new jobs.

The government will provide further details of the strategy in the upcoming Digital and Technology Sector Plan, with the Compute Strategy expected in Spring 2025.

Bramble Hub AI Partnerships

Numerous Bramble Hub partners provide AI skills and products that can be procured through us via public sector frameworks. These include companies like MyCardium AI, which applies AI in healthcare diagnostics, The Honest Data Company for predictive modeling and AI consulting, CloudSource, which is bringing Microsoft AI skills to the regulatory sector, and various other partners specializing in artificial intelligence solutions for public sector applications.