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Artificial Intelligence: Public Sector

Asked by Bobby DeanLiberal DemocratDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 25 June 2026UIN 900592

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of dependency on foreign-owned AI systems on resilience in the public sector.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan

The Government recognises that AI is increasingly embedded in public services, and that the UK currently relies on a small number of foreign-headquartered providers for frontier models, compute and cloud. As the Secretary of State set out at RUSI, the Government's approach is to reduce over-dependencies and strengthen resilience in our most critical national priorities. This is reinforced by wider Government investment, including the £500 million Sovereign AI Fund, to build domestic capability and reduce strategic dependencies over time.

Departments are responsible for their own procurement decisions, in line with established rules and guidance, and manage supplier risks supported by guidance from Government Digital Service, Government Commercial Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre.

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