The UK has outlined a 10-year plan today to make the country a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI), in a bid to draw in foreign investment and shape the way it is regulated globally. In the country's first AI strategy, which comes amid London Tech Week, the UK has proposed a new white paper on AI regulation. There are also plans to launch a new national programme to support research and development – which the government said it would raise investment in to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027 in its AI Sector Deal earlier this year. With the UK's ambition to use technology as one of its post-Brexit selling points, a fresh approach to AI could help stop online banking fraud, speed up disease diagnosis and unlock the potential for driverless cars. "The UK already punches above its weight internationally and we are ranked third in the world behind the USA and China in the list of top countries for AI," Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Minister Chris Philip said, adding that the strategy will help the UK "seize the potential of artificial intelligence and play a leading role in shaping the way the world governs it." It comes ahead of the upcoming National Cyber Strategy which is set to continue pushing for building security into the development of AI.

Back in October 2017, publication of the Hall & Pesenti review, Growing the Artificial Intelligence Industry in the UK, caused something of a stir – if subsequent actions are anything to go by. Seven months after the independent, government commissioned study hit ministers' desks, the AI Sector Deal was announced. Trumpeted as a £1 billion Whitehall vote of confidence in the industry – which has deep, historic roots in the UK – closer examination revealed it to be a more conservative £300 million of public funds backed by a promise of £700 million from industrial and academic partnerships. It still provided a welcome boost to the country's ambitions, even if the announcement itself was fumbled by the mandarins of SW1. At a Westminster eForum event in February 2018, the Deal was trailed for publication in early March. However, policymakers sat on it until May, when it finally emerged days after the EU had published its own AI strategy to the tune of €20 billion – a pointless and frustrating own goal for the UK.

The Alan Turing Institute has this week announced the first five Turing AI Fellows, each of which will carry out different research into various roles and applications of artificial intelligence. This first wave of fellows - as well as a second wave that has this week been announced by the Institute this week - forms part of the government's £1 billion AI sector deal. Working with the Office for Artificial Intelligence and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the fellowships have received £37.5 million of funding for five years. The Alan Turing Institute said that the AI Fellows are drawn from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds and will be tackling research challenges from sustainable aviation to AI for discovery in data intensive astrophysics. AI has the potential to boost productivity and enhance every industry across the economy, from developing new treatments for life-threatening diseases to tackling climate change.

More information on how to apply for funding can be found here.

The UK government has launched a new skills and talent initiative that will see the creation of a series of industry-backed post-graduate AI courses, with the goal of training thousands of students each year. This marks the first time the country will have a nationwide programme of industry-funded AI Masters courses that are paired with work-based job placements. It comes hot on the heels of new data that shows inward investment to the UK's AI sector increased 17% over the past year - more than the rest of Europe combined. The new package, announced today, is funded by up to £110 million of government investment and will create up to 200 AI Masters places at universities across the UK. Additional funding will also come from the industry, with companies such as BAE Systems, Cisco and DeepMind investing in the initiative, according to a government statement.

The UK government has launched a new skills and talent initiative that will see the creation of a series of industry-backed post-graduate AI courses, with the goal of training thousands of students each year. This marks the first time the country will have a nationwide programme of industry-funded AI Masters courses that are paired with work-based job placements. It comes hot on the heels of new data that shows inward investment to the UK's AI sector increased 17% over the past year - more than the rest of Europe combined. The new package, announced today, is funded by up to £110 million of government investment and will create up to 200 AI Masters places at universities across the UK. Additional funding will also come from the industry, with companies such as BAE Systems, Cisco and DeepMind investing in the initiative, according to a government statement.

Comment In a refreshing change, the British government yesterday appointed an NHS technology advisory panel with almost no medics or tech experts on board. Today, it announced the names of expert advisors to the nebulous "Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation", one of two new bodies set up this year. This one is intended to assure the public that they can trust AI companies with slurping their data. The centre was one recommendation from a study which formed the basis of the "AI Sector Deal". The centre's job is to devise another recommendation: "Data Trusts", or in the report's own words: Mechanisms where parties have defined rights and responsibilities with respect to shared data – in order to protect sensitive data, facilitate access to data, and ensure accountability.

In order to establish the UK as an artificial intelligence (AI) "research hotspot," the government is using money from its new AI Sector Deal to fund 1,000 AI PhDs and 8,000 specialist computer science teachers by 2025. Including contributions from more than 50 tech companies and other organizations, the AI Sector Deal will be worth some £1 billion ($1.4 billion), and includes £300 million of new private sector investment, according to a Thursday press release. The investment is primarily focused on AI research. "By boosting AI skills and data driven technologies we will make sure that we continue to build a Britain that is shaping the future," Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Matt Hancock said in the press release. SEE: IT leader's guide to the future of artificial intelligence (Tech Pro Research) Part of the goal is to make sure every secondary school has a qualified computer science teacher to educate students with the tech skills they'll need in the future.

The Alan Turing Institute and Rolls-Royce are among several UK-based organisations whose artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives have been highlighted by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Read about how blockchain's inherent security makes it tamper-proof, and perfect for keeping and sharing records for transactions in many scenarios. You forgot to provide an Email Address. This email address doesn't appear to be valid. This email address is already registered.