UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has developed a strategy to help improve the UK’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, underpinned by research, access to shared assets and support for innovators and universities.
The government has announced a six-point plan, which it aims to complete by 2031, by which time the research it supports will make the UK a world leader in explainable human-in-the-loop systems, agentic AI, edge computing and sustainable models. The target date of 2031 signals our ambition to deliver faster, more reproducible science across disciplines through UKRI-supported national AI testbeds and shared methods, and to expand our research and innovation workforce to produce deeper technical expertise and talent who can drive AI companies and research groups.
From a data access perspective, UKRI’s goal is to open up a more environmentally sustainable computing and data infrastructure that provides fair access to AI research resources through UKRI-enabled infrastructure and new models released based on these resources, reusable and privacy-respecting datasets, and a Trusted Research Environment (TRE) that accelerates discovery and ensures that data providers benefit from their contributions.
UKRI’s AI Safety Goals for 2031 include making the UK a joint leader in global standards for safer and greener AI through UKRI’s international partnerships.
We also aim to foster a culture where the UK develops and maximizes the power of AI to drive economic growth, improve lives and livelihoods, and tackle global and societal challenges.
Discussing the strategy, Charlotte Dean, senior lead owner of the UKRI AI program and executive chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, spoke of the UK’s strength in mathematics, which she said puts it in a strong position to grow the UK’s AI ambitions. “We must make bold choices in areas where the UK can truly lead the world and UKRI will play a central role in supporting the full innovation pathway from basic research to prototype to scale-up,” she said.
“By coming together universities, businesses, industry and government, we can unlock the potential we have had for a long time but have yet to fully exploit,” Dean added.
Some of UKRI’s current initiatives include a radar AI system to detect faults in rail networks in real time, and the IXI Brain Atlas, which supports more than 40 clinical trials for degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Commenting on the strategy, UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said: “The potential to combine our AI expertise with our unparalleled research and development community is transformative. This plan leverages AI to accelerate both the pace and potential of scientific endeavors.”
“We are already seeing AI transform possibilities from health to energy and beyond. By boldly supporting this technology, we can set Britain’s greatest innovators on the path to further success and pave the way for breakthroughs that improve health, wealth and wellbeing.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who will lead the UK delegation to the India AI Impact Summit, said: “The UK is supporting pioneering AI leadership with over £1.6 billion of investment to ensure the UK’s best expertise develops the next wave of AI innovation. Together we are turning potential into progress and that is the ambition I will bring to the AI Summit in India this week.”
