UK to boost ‘homegrown talent' in new AI skills drive
Speaking at the start of London's Tech Week, with a line-up of speakers including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Starmer said: 'In this global race, we can be an AI maker and not an AI taker.'
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 'crucial initiative' essential for developing AI skills, unlocking AI-powered growth 'and cementing the UK's position as an AI leader'.
In his opening speech, Starmer said Britain must build 'the digital infrastructure that we need to make sure AI improves our public services'.
The UK has a 'responsibility' to 'harness this unprecedented opportunity and to use it to improve the lives of working people', Starmer added.
'We are going to build more homes, more labs, more data centres, and we're going to do it much, much more quickly.'
– Economic growth –
His government has pledged to fire up the UK's flagging economy, including with 'pro-growth' AI regulations to attract tech investment and turn Britain into an 'AI superpower'.
'We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation — so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it,' Starmer said in a press release before the event.
The British leader unveiled £187 million ($253 million) in funding to help develop tech abilities including training for one million secondary school students, as part of its 'TechFirst' programme.
He called it a 'step change in how we train homegrown talent for the AI age'.
The investment will 'embed AI right through our education system', he said, announcing nearly £150 million in undergraduate and PhD research scholarships in AI and tech.
Starmer also announced a 'commitment from Nvidia to partner on a new AI talent pipeline', including through expanding a Nvidia lab in Bristol, southwest England.
The UK's AI sector is valued at £72 billion, employing over 64,000 people, and is projected to exceed £800 billion by 2035.
It was growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, according to government figures from 2023 — an 'incredible' rate, according to Starmer.
Other speakers at the tech conference include the CEO of Mistral AI, Arthur Mensch, the UK's Science Secretary Peter Kyle and Markus Villig, founder of ride-hailing app Bolt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Shafaq News
After global recognition: Iran's IRGC rejects two-state solution
Shafaq News – Tehran Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday dismissed the two-state solution as a 'devilish conspiracy,' reaffirming its rejection of any proposal recognizing Israel's legitimacy. The concept envisions a sovereign Palestinian state established alongside Israel, based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital—an idea backed by much of the international and Arabic communities. In its statement, the IRGC marked the anniversary of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran, blaming Israel and vowing that 'hidden capacities' within the Axis of Resistance (a coalition of Iran-backed armed groups) would ensure the eventual collapse of the 'Zionist regime.' The group also praised the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood operation as a lasting model for armed resistance and quoted Hamas's pledge to 'never ever recognize Israel.' Global momentum behind a negotiated two-state plan has grown in recent days. Over 125 countries endorsed the 'New York Declaration,' a Saudi-French initiative calling for a phased roadmap to Palestinian statehood alongside Israeli security guarantees. It outlines a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the transfer of governance to the Palestinian Authority. Support for the plan has come from major Western powers, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who have all urged a diplomatic resolution, while emphasizing the importance of "safeguarding Israeli interests." Although Hamas maintains its opposition to Israel's existence, some Palestinian factions have hinted at a willingness to accept a state within the 1967 borders. The Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, continues to push for a two-state framework rooted in UN resolutions. Israeli officials, however, have rejected the latest proposal outright, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition arguing that Palestinian statehood "threatens national security" and that any solution must exclude groups "unwilling to disarm or recognize Israel."
Shafaq News
4 days ago
- Shafaq News
UK delegation backs Kurdistan security, urges halt to drone attacks
Shafaq News – Erbil A senior British military delegation on Thursday reaffirmed the United Kingdom's commitment to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region during a meeting with Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani. The delegation, led by Edward Algreen, Senior Adviser at the UK Ministry of Defence for the Middle East and North Africa, and Andrew Beasley, the British Consul General in Kurdistan, discussed Iraq's security and political developments and the need to bolster military cooperation between Erbil and London. According to Barzani's office, the delegation condemned recent drone strikes on the Kurdistan Region, calling them 'unacceptable violations of security.' They urged an immediate end to the attacks and stressed the importance of holding the perpetrators accountable. Both sides underscored the necessity of closer military and security coordination, particularly in counterterrorism efforts and regional defense. The talks also touched on relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraq's federal government, as well as the political situation within the region.
Iraqi News
5 days ago
- Iraqi News
Microsoft quarterly profits soar on AI and cloud growth
San Francisco – Technology giant Microsoft on Wednesday said its profit soared above expectations in the recently ended quarter, driven by its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) units. Microsoft reported profit of $27.2 billion on revenue of $76.4 billion, some $29.9 billion of which was brought in by its Intelligent Cloud business. 'Cloud and AI is the driving force of business transformation across every industry and sector,' Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said in an earnings release. 'We're innovating across the tech stack to help customers adapt and grow in this new era.' Microsoft's Azure cloud computing offerings brought in more than $75 billion for the company's fiscal year, which ended on June 30, in an increase of 34 percent from the prior year, according to Nadella. Microsoft shares jumped about 7 percent in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures. 'This was a slam-dunk quarter for Microsoft with cloud and AI driving significant business transformation across every sector and industry,' Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors. 'The company continues to capitalize on the AI Revolution.' Microsoft is well-positioned to make money as increasing numbers of companies ramp up efforts to take advantage of artificial intelligence in their businesses, according to Ives. Microsoft was one of the first tech giants to double down on artificial intelligence when the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 rocked the tech industry. Like its rivals, it has spent massively on building the infrastructure necessary to power the AI revolution, with analysts keeping a close eye on the return on investment. The company in January said it was on track to pump about $80 billion into capital and infrastructure in the fiscal year. Nadella has said finding enough power sources for its AI data center needs was a priority. Microsoft in early July slashed a little less than four percent of its global workforce as it seeks to cut layers of middle management and leverage new technologies. 'We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,' a Microsoft spokesperson said in an email. The job cuts follow a round in May that saw about 6,000 positions culled from its global workforce. The company, which is advancing in its plans to deploy AI across all its products, said it was working to 'empower employees to spend more time focusing on meaningful work by leveraging new technologies and capabilities.'
