British PM vows AI will usher in ‘golden age’

LONDON: Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday laid out his vision to harness the power of artificial intelligence to boost Britain´s flagging economy, promising flexible regulations amid concerns about the technology´s unchecked use.

Starmer´s Labour government announced an “action plan” to make the UK “the world leader” in AI, with the “full weight” of its half a million strong civil service getting behind the endeavour.

The “AI Opportunities Action Plan” includes 50 recommendations that the government will implement to boost AI-driven efficiency in the public sector, from education to detecting potholes.

“AI is the greatest force for change in the world right now. I am determined to harness it to usher in a golden age of public service reform,” Starmer wrote in the Financial Times ahead of a speech.

Britain -- which has the third-largest AI industry after the United States and China -- does not need to “walk down a US or an EU path on AI regulation”, Starmer added, as he looks to attract billions of pounds of investment from AI firms.

“We can go our own way, taking a distinctively British approach that will test AI long before we regulate, so that everything we do will be proportionate and grounded in the science.”