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Artificial Intelligence: Finance

Asked by Alan MakConservativeDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 13 February 2025UIN 28508

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the budget of the AI Opportunities Unit is.

Answered by Feryal Clark

AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and its benefits extend far beyond economic growth. By investing in AI now, we are ensuring that the UK is prepared to harness its transformative potential.

The government invests in AI in several ways, including through investing in the UK’s compute capacity, the latest research and innovations, and upskilling the workforce with AI skills.

The recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, is fully funded under the current Spending Review. We have already funded parts of the AI Action Plan through Spending Review Round One, including compute, R&D, and sovereign AI commitments. Departments are working through the policy details, which will be integrated into future spending plans as part of the spending review process.

As we approach the 2025 Spending Review, we will outline the next steps to ensure these commitments continue driving progress, but it would not be appropriate to speculate on spending review decisions.

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