UK to boost 'homegrown talent' in new AI skills drive
Speaking at the start of London's Tech Week, with a line-up of speakers including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Starmer said: "In this global race, we can be an AI maker and not an AI taker."
Starmer was due to have a one-on-one conversation with the chief of the star Silicon Valley semiconductor firm whose chips are critical for artificial intelligence applications and research.Ahead of the event bringing together industry giants, Starmer announced a government-industry partnership to train 7.5 million workers in AI skills, including in using chatbots and large language models to boost productivity.Tech firms including Nvidia, Google, Microsoft and Amazon committed to make training materials freely available to businesses over the next five years.
Google EMEA region President Debbie Weinstein called it a "crucial initiative" essential for developing AI skills, unlocking AI-powered growth "and cementing the UK's position as an AI leader".
In his opening speech, Starmer said Britain must build "the digital infrastructure that we need to make sure AI improves our public services".The UK has a "responsibility" to "harness this unprecedented opportunity and to use it to improve the lives of working people", Starmer added."We are going to build more homes, more labs, more data centres, and we're going to do it much, much more quickly."
Economic growth His government has pledged to fire up the UK's flagging economy, including with "pro-growth" AI regulations to attract tech investment and turn Britain into an "AI superpower"."We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation -- so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it," Starmer said in a press release before the event.The British leader unveiled £187 million ($253 million) in funding to help develop tech abilities including training for one million secondary school students, as part of its "TechFirst" programme.He called it a "step change in how we train homegrown talent for the AI age".The investment will "embed AI right through our education system", he said, announcing nearly £150 million in undergraduate and PhD research scholarships in AI and tech.Starmer also announced a "commitment from Nvidia to partner on a new AI talent pipeline", including through expanding a Nvidia lab in Bristol, southwest England.The UK's AI sector is valued at £72 billion, employing over 64,000 people, and is projected to exceed £800 billion by 2035. It was growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, according to government figures from 2023 -- an "incredible" rate, according to Starmer.Other speakers at the tech conference include the CEO of Mistral AI, Arthur Mensch, the UK's Science Secretary Peter Kyle and Markus Villig, founder of ride-hailing app Bolt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chip in now
Times of India's Edit Page team comprises senior journalists with wide-ranging interests who debate and opine on the news and issues of the day. Trump delaying tariffs on China while targeting India shows our lack of strategic tech and manufacturing The chip war between US and China is back on the table with Washington reportedly working out a deal to take 15% from the sale of Nvidia's and AMD's AI chips to China. This effectively makes US govt a business partner to Nvidia and AMD, and comes after Washington allowed resumption of chip sales to China. The latter had been halted by Trump in April as part of his trade tussle with Beijing. However, he was forced to lift the ban after China retaliated with its own ban on rare earth exports to US. Beijing has now sent notices to Chinese companies discouraging the use of Nvidia chips citing security concerns. Parallelly, however, US and China have decided to extend their tariff truce till Nov. This is in stark contrast to Trump's approach to India, which is now facing the prospect of 50% tariff on its exports to US. The entire episode holds out two key lessons. First, the tech war is here to stay. Whether it's US chip sales to China or China trying to undermine tech manufacturing in India as highlighted by its recent pullout of Chinese engineers from Foxconn's India plants, this is a strategic sector that every country will try to leverage or weaponise. And with the advent of AI, India's expertise in software and coding is no longer that attractive. Therefore, India must not waver in its determination to master bedrock tech like semiconductor manufacturing and design, as well as AI. Countries like Estonia are integrating AI in their education systems. Plus, the recent spat between Elon Musk and OpenAI boss Sam Altman over listing in Apple's App Store shows how fiercely companies are competing over AI tech. India must not lag behind. Second, Trump's targeting India with big tariffs because he feels it doesn't have anything strategic to offer. That's not the case with China given its manufacturing muscle. Similarly, Taiwan's cutting-edge semiconductor industry makes it vital to tech supply chains, and therefore, a prime candidate for tariff exemptions. India too needs to cement a crucial spot in global manufacturing by investing heavily in domestic R&D, technical education and AI. It's work that can't be delayed. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
UK PM praises Trump, sees 'viable' chance for Ukraine ceasefire
Starmer said Ukraine's military backers, the so-called Coalition of the Willing, had drawn up workable military plans in case of a ceasefire but were also ready to add pressure on Russia through sanctions."For three and a bit years this conflict has been going, we haven't got anywhere near... a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire," Starmer told a meeting of European we do have that chance, because of the work that the (US) president has put in," he told the video conference he led alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron. The call was joined by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky from Germany, and US Vice President JD Vance, who is currently visiting the Starmer said Friday's Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin was "hugely important", he reiterated that there "should be no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine"."This is a critical moment, we have to combine active diplomacy on the one hand with military support to Ukraine and pressure on Russia," he coalition has drawn up military plans "which are now ready in a form that can be used if we get to that ceasefire", Starmer said Britain and other European allies also "stand ready to increase pressure on Russia" through sanctions and "wider measures" if added that Trump had agreed to "debrief immediately" after his meeting with Putin.- Ends
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Australia court rules partly against Apple, Google in Epic Games lawsuit
By Byron Kaye SYDNEY: An Australian court found the smartphone app stores of Apple and Google-owned Android were uncompetitive, local media reported on Tuesday, in a partial victory for Fortnite game developer Epic Games against the tech giants. Amid a years-long legal dispute brought by Epic against the dominant smartphone makers in several jurisdictions around the world, Australia 's federal court found the phone makers' app stores had no protections against anti-competitive behaviour, the reports said. Epic Games had claimed Apple and Google 's fees for downloads of its games were too high, and that the phone makers made it impossible for users to download its alternative app store. The Australian judgment, which ran to 2,000 pages, was not released by the court on Tuesday, but media said a judge's summary included the finding that the smartphone companies had not intentionally breached the law. In a post on X, Epic said the Australian court "just found that Apple and Google abuse their control over app distribution and in-app payments to limit competition". Epic is a U.S.-based games studio with backing from China's Tencent . "The Epic Games Store and Fortnite will come to iOS in Australia!" the Epic post said. "This is a WIN for developers and consumers in Australia!" Apple said in a statement it welcomed the court's rejection of some of Epic's claims, but strongly disagreed with its ruling on others. "Apple faces fierce competition in every market where we operate," the California-based tech giant said. A Google statement said the company welcomed the court's rejection of some Epic Games claims but "we disagree with the court's characterisation of our billing policies and practices, as well as its findings regarding some of our historical partnerships, which were all shaped in a fiercely competitive mobile landscape". "We will review the full decision when we receive it and assess our next steps."
