
Sir Keir Starmer vows to overcome sceptical public on ‘harnessing power' of AI
The UK must persuade a 'sceptical' public that artificial intelligence (AI) can improve millions of lives and transform the way business and Whitehall works, Sir Keir Starmer said.
The Prime Minister said AI would cut through planning red tape to speed up housebuilding and promised £1 billion of funding to increase the UK's compute power.
Sir Keir acknowledged people's concern about the rapid rise of AI technology and the risk to their jobs but stressed the benefits it would have on the delivery of public services, automating bureaucracy and allowing staff such as social workers and nurses to be 'more human'.
In a speech at London Tech Week, Sir Keir said: 'Some people out there are sceptical.
'They do worry about AI taking their job.'
Even businesses were worried about the 'relentless' pace of change, he said as he stressed the need for the Government and the tech sector to work in partnership.
'When it comes to harnessing the power of this technology, I believe that the way we work through this together is critical and that means a partnership,' he said.
The Prime Minister told the audience of business chiefs and tech experts: 'We are leaning into this.
'We are excited about the opportunity that this could have, will have on the lives of millions of people and making their lives better.'
He said the Government was 'committing an extra £1 billion of funding to scale up our compute power by a factor of 20'.
That would mean that 'in this global race, we can be an AI maker and not an AI taker'.
It will also help support the transformation of public services, he said, pointing to the new work on planning.
The Prime Minister announced the launch of Extract, an AI assistant for planning officers and local councils, developed by government with support from Google.
It will help councils convert decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes, and will power new types of software to slash the 250,000 estimated hours spent by planning officers each year manually checking the paperwork.
Sir Keir said: 'For too long, our outdated planning system has held back our country, slowing down the development of vital infrastructure and making it harder to get the homes we need built.'
One million students will be given access to learning resources to start equipping them for 'the tech careers of the future' as part of the Government's £187 million TechFirst scheme, Downing Street said.
Sir Keir said: 'I think that training young people earlier on in AI and tech means that they will obviously be better skilled as they come into work but also they will be much better at it than us.
'I've got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl and they already understand AI and tech in a way which is really difficult to have even conceived of a decade ago.'
Meanwhile, staff at firms across the country will be trained to 'use and interact' with chatbots and large language models as part of a plan backed by Google and Microsoft to train 7.5 million workers in AI skills by 2030.
Jensen Huang, chief executive of tech giant Nvidia said the UK was in a 'goldilocks' zone because of its combination of academic expertise and finance, but had been held back by a lack of infrastructure for AI.
Sharing a platform with the Prime Minister, he said: 'The UK has one of the richest AI communities anywhere on the planet: the deepest thinkers, the best universities, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, amazing start-ups.'
It was behind only the US and China in venture capital investment, he added.
'The ecosystem is really perfect for take-off, it's just missing one thing: it is surprising, this is the largest AI ecosystem in the world without its own infrastructure.'
That was why the Prime Minister's £1 billion pledge on compute power was 'such a big deal', he said.
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In response, Mr Falconer did not rule out the move, saying he had 'no doubt' he would return to the Commons to update MPs. It came as the UK imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's security minister and finance minister, respectively. The move came alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway. When asked about the recognition of Palestine by Liberal Democrat foreign spokesperson Calum Miller, Mr Falconer said: 'The two-state solution conference next week is an important moment we're discussing with our friends and allies our approach to that conference and no-doubt I will return to this house, with your permission Mr Speaker, to discuss further.' Surrounded by security guards, Israel's National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, centre, has been sanctioned by the Government (Leo Correa/AP) Mr Miller had said: 'The time has also come to listen to members on all sides of this House and officially to recognise the independent state of Palestine. Will the Government commit to taking this vital step at next week's summit in New York? 'Recognition will demonstrate the UK's commitment to self-determination but also make clear that, building on today's announcement, the UK will do all it can to wrest control away from the extremes and give both Israelis and Palestinians hope of a lasting peace.' Conservative MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich, Sir Roger Gale, had chastised the Government for not taking more action. He said: 'When the minister came to the despatch box, I had expected to hear something constructive. What we've heard is the sanctioning of two people. The United Kingdom Government could unilaterally recognise Palestine. The United Kingdom Government could show the world and lead.' He added: 'When is the Government going to do something?' Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed (Sheffield Central), who was denied access to the occupied West Bank earlier this year, agreed with the calls. She said: 'Annexation is real. It is happening. Partners in the region are calling for recognition before it's too late.' Ms Mohamed continued: 'Does the minister agree with me that we must not throw recognition into the long grass? That failure to recognise next week at the UN conference implies that Israel does have a veto, and that the Israeli government will continue to annexe and terrorise Palestinians in the West Bank. If we do not recognise now, there will be no Palestinian state to recognise.' Mr Falconer said: 'Recognition is right at the centre of any discussion of a two-state solution.' The minister had earlier told MPs the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine was in critical danger. He said the rhetoric of Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich did not represent the majority of Israelis. He said: 'This is an affront to the rights of Palestinians, but it is also against the interests of Israelis, against their long-term security and democracy.' Later in the session, Green Party MP Ellie Chowns (North Herefordshire) accused the Government of doing the 'bare minimum' while Conservative former minister Kit Malthouse further pressed the minister on whether recognition at the summit is now 'off the table'. Mr Falconer said 'we are doing everything we can', adding: 'We are so incredibly frustrated by the scenes that meet us, meet everybody behind me, and I would say gently to (Mr Malthouse), he has no monopoly on the morality of this situation.' The minister went on to say settler expansion had increased hugely in recent years, and last year had seen the worst settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank on record. 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Mr Falconer replied: 'I have spoken about the perilous decline of the situation in the West Bank, and indeed events of the last two weeks, and I've also spoken about the importance of co-ordinating with allies. So, I don't think I have anything further to say.'