The government has unveiled the 16 centres set to deliver a £200m, five-year programme to train 2,000 PhD students in artificial intelligence specialisms. The initiative is a core part of the AI sector deal announced by Theresa May in 2018 and is supported by £100m from government, £78m from industry, and £23m from the participating universities. Google, AstraZeneca, Rolls-Royce and the NHS are among the organisations to have backed the programme. The sector deal was announced in April last year as the government faced criticism for failing to protect the UK's tech sector in the run up to Brexit. A report by the House of Lords had claimed the UK lagged behind Germany, Canada and South Korea when it came to AI, as well as world-leaders China and the US.