AI Opportunities Action Plan: Lofty ambitions, but can the government deliver its vision?

Keisha Bullock-Singh, Junior Consultant
16/01/2025

This week Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan - the government’s strategy for AI development which aims to make the UK a global leader in artificial intelligence. 

Written by the Prime Minister’s AI Opportunities Adviser Matt Clifford, the Action Plan outlines 50 recommendations for the government to progress, focused on laying the foundations for AI to flourish in the UK, boosting adoption across public and private sectors, and ensuring the UK is at the forefront of this emerging technology. 

This follows the strategic cost-benefit review of investment in AI technology Labour launched when it first took office, which resulted in an eyebrow raising cancellation of £1.3 billion of funding earmarked for research and development in this area, as part of efforts to ease pressure on the new government’s budget. 

However, with the government now desperate for growth, investment in AI technology promises the opportunity to generate £47 billion annually for the economy and boost productivity in the private sector, as outlined in the Action Plan. The plan details lofty visions for the potential to integrate AI across the economy, from banking to energy to the creative industries, and the ongoing support required from Government to ensure the workforce is equipped with the skills it needs to effectively utilise AI. 

It also reiterates the potential for AI to create thousands of new jobs and attract skilled workers from across the world – helping to solidify the UK’s reputation as a global hub for innovative technology. 

Alongside supporting economic growth, Clifford and Starmer have touted the ability for AI to deliver more effective and efficient public services to citizens across the UK. This includes reducing waiting times in healthcare, delivering personalised lessons for students and streamlining planning applications. 

While the government has clearly outlined its intention to invest, develop and deploy AI technology, can it turn the ambitions outlined in the AI Opportunities Action Plan into a reality? 

A key challenge for the government’s delivery of the AI Action Plan will be ensuring it is able to encourage innovation while limiting the negative impacts associated with AI technology. 

In his speech launching the Action Plan, Starmer indicated he will be taking an aggressive approach to AI innovation – significantly contrasting with the cautious example set by the Conservative government – and will be looking to drive increased use of this technology at pace. 

Considering the wide range of regulation related to AI in the UK, such as around data protection, copyright, and equality law, and the likely need for centralised legislation to ensure consistent application of AI technology, swift implementation may prove difficult for the government. 

The implementation of the Action Plan may also raise challenges around data privacy. The government intends to give researchers and AI companies access to public data sets, including anonymised NHS data, to form part of a national data library and which has also caused concern amongst privacy campaigners and health specialists. 

And although the government outlined its intention to deliver “strong privacy-preserving safeguards” for these data sets, questions have been raised about who will provide support to the NHS to ensure sufficient governance, audit and oversight of patient data and what penalties will be put in place to deter irresponsible use of this information. 

Will the government be required to bolster its cybersecurity policy to successfully implement its ambitious AI scheme? With new cyberthreats being reported almost daily, it is almost certain that increased cybersecurity will be a continued conversation as part of the roll out of the Action Plan. 

The impact AI will have on the UK’s creative sector, particularly around copyright, is another already contentious political debate the government is looking to get ahead of. It’s Copyright and Artificial Intelligence consultation, launched in December 2024, was the first step towards building a sustainable AI copyright framework, and the Action Plan continues down this path.  

It recommends establishing a copyright-cleared UK media asset training data set, including works by the BBC, National Archives and British Library, which can be licensed for international use. The timeline for delivery is stated as Spring 2025, but reaching this deadline has the potential to be hindered by resistance to, what industry stakeholders are calling, “a US-led heist of UK copyrighted works”. 

Although the government has committed to ensuring it has a competitive copyright regime that supports both the AI sector and the creative industries, and will likely look to responses from its consultation for guidance, will it be enough to appease the UK’s creative sector? 

Over the coming months, the government’s ability to implement the AI Opportunities Action Plan will be closely watched, both by the tech industry and more broadly, considering its application across sectors. However, the success of the Action Plan largely depends on the government’s ability to manage the challenges associated with this innovative – and often controversial – form of technology, rather than application of the technology itself. 

Outside of its ability to actually implement the plan, the government is at risk of appearing as though it is heavily relying on AI technology to mitigate issues across sectors – including around the NHS, energy and the economy. Not only is there the possibility of the new technology not offering any significant improvement to these sectors, but the government’s reliance on AI may also suggest it lacks other bold ideas to implement change the electorate is calling for. 

However, with the government putting significant time, money and manpower into the development of AI technology as part of its wider growth strategy, it is not unfeasible to think significant elements of the Action Plan, if not all 50 recommendations, will be achieved by the end of the decade. 

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