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- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday pledged to boost 鈥渉omegrown talent for the AI age鈥� by teaming up with tech giants to train 7.5 million workers in artificial intelligence skills
LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday pledged to boost 鈥渉omegrown talent for the AI age鈥� by teaming up with tech giants to train 7.5 million workers in artificial intelligence skills.
Speaking at the start of London鈥檚 Tech Week, with a line-up of speakers including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Starmer said: 鈥淚n this global race, we can be an AI maker and not an AI taker.鈥�
Starmer was due to have a one-on-one conversation with the chief of the star Silicon Valley semiconductor firm whose chips are critical for artificial intelligence applications and research.
Ahead of the event bringing together industry giants, Starmer announced a government-industry partnership to train 7.5 million workers in AI skills, including in using chatbots and large language models to boost productivity.
Tech firms including Nvidia, Google, Microsoft and Amazon committed to make training materials freely available to businesses over the next five years.
Google EMEA region President Debbie Weinstein called it a 鈥渃rucial initiative鈥� essential for developing AI skills, unlocking AI-powered growth 鈥渁nd cementing the UK鈥檚 position as an AI leader.鈥�
In his opening speech, Starmer said Britain must build 鈥渢he digital infrastructure that we need to make sure AI improves our public services.鈥�
The UK has a 鈥渞esponsibility鈥� to 鈥渉arness this unprecedented opportunity and to use it to improve the lives of working people,鈥� Starmer added.
鈥淲e are going to build more homes, more labs, more data centers, and we鈥檙e going to do it much, much more quickly.鈥�
His government has pledged to fire up the UK鈥檚 flagging economy, including with 鈥減ro-growth鈥� AI regulations to attract tech investment and turn Britain into an 鈥淎I superpower.鈥�
鈥淲e are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation 鈥� so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it,鈥� Starmer said in a press release before the event.
The British leader unveiled 拢187 million ($253 million) in funding to help develop tech abilities including training for one million secondary school students, as part of its 鈥淭echFirst鈥� program.
He called it a 鈥渟tep change in how we train homegrown talent for the AI age.鈥�
The investment will 鈥渆mbed AI right through our education system,鈥� he said, announcing nearly 拢150 million in undergraduate and PhD research scholarships in AI and tech.
Starmer also announced a 鈥渃ommitment from Nvidia to partner on a new AI talent pipeline,鈥� including through expanding a Nvidia lab in Bristol, southwest England.
The UK鈥檚 AI sector is valued at 拢72 billion, employing over 64,000 people, and is projected to exceed 拢800 billion by 2035.
It was growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, according to government figures from 2023 鈥� an 鈥渋ncredible鈥� rate, according to Starmer.
Other speakers at the tech conference include the CEO of Mistral AI, Arthur Mensch, the UK鈥檚 Science Secretary Peter Kyle and Markus Villig, founder of ride-hailing app Bolt.