Use public procurement to boost artificial intelligence, urge Lords - Supply Management

The public sector should use targeted procurement to boost the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in the UK, according to Lords. In a report, the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence said the UK was "in a strong position to be among the world leaders in the development of artificial intelligence" and the technology, if "handled carefully", could solve complex problems and improve productivity. In evidence, the committee was told the use of AI across government departments and the public sector could save an estimated £4bn a year and "enable more informed policy decisions". The report said the government's annual spend of £45bn on goods and services gave it "immense power in encouraging the adoption of new behaviours and practices in its supply chains". The report said Brexit provided an opportunity to alter EU public procurement rules "to ensure that these rules and thresholds benefit businesses in the UK, in particular when it comes to public sector procurement and the stimulation of a fertile AI development sector, as long as it is still a competitive process".