UK AI plan: If it glitters, is it gold?

The UK Government has launched its AI Opportunities Plan today. 

On one hand it’s brilliant to see the government committing to an ambitious agenda which looks to position the UK for future growth. AI will continue to change the way the world works.  Investing in our computing capacity and getting to grips with the value of data across society are smart moves. 

This is leadership in action and it’s hard to be mealy mouthed about that. 

But - like others in UK civil society - I am also concerned. 

The plan itself makes little reference to the needs of citizens. It is based on an assumption that attracting talent and investment on AI will accrue benefits but there’s a risk many of the benefits flow to foreign technology companies with questionable ethics.

The plan also appears to advocate for using the public sector as a test-bed for private sector innovation. We shouldn’t nationalise risk for private profit. ‘Move fast and break things’ is not a motto to support in our schools and hospitals. 

The kind of reform required to harness the benefits of AI in the public sector is unfortunately going to take much longer than politicians would like. Partly because the technology still isn’t where we need it to be for nationwide systematic adoption (despite what the hype-crew say) and partly because well, bureaucracy. 

Some of the figures quoted about the potential of AI technology also don’t tell the full story. AI for medical scans is great in practice but experts suggest the increased number of MRI’ scans that can be done will actually require an increase in staff time and equipment. 

The use of AI to transcribe police statements is inevitably going to require legal adjustments that don’t happen overnight. 

The migration of decision making away from humans to algorithms in various parts of government can erode our agency as citizens. This plan makes no mention of transparency but recommends offering up free access to government data which is in fact, OUR data. We should expect better.

I am a believer in the transformative potential of AI. That’s why at Rootcause we are continuing to explore how it can be used by progressive organisations to build influence and political power BUT I worry that when it comes to this UK government’s perspective on AI, the road ahead may well be paved with good intentions but it could yet lead somewhere none of us want to be.