"There Is a Real Opportunity Now"

Entrepreneur

a day ago

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is often cast as a double-edged sword - brimming with potential but shadowed by risk. In the UK, that tension is being met head-on with a distinct strategy: championing regulation not as red tape, but as a catalyst - a way to unlock innovation safely, responsibly, and at scale. For Feryal Clark, the UK's Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government, and the minister leading this effort, AI represents a genuine chance to revitalise overburdened public services and position the UK as a global leader in groundbreaking innovation.
While tech giants grab the headlines and global competition heats up, Clark remains focused on a more pragmatic priority. She is determined that the UK's approach to AI goes beyond just chasing innovation - aiming also to protect and enhance people's lives. And central to that, she insists, is regulation that does not suffocate the very industry it seeks to steward. "We are currently in the process of developing legislation which will prepare the UK for AI security risks. We are really keen to make sure that it also drives innovation and investment. We are ensuring we can safely use the opportunities of AI for years to come. "
The message is clear: it's about keeping the UK ahead - but not at any cost. "The UK has launched a Regulation Innovation Office to streamline regulation, cut red tape for businesses, and accelerate the introduction of new technologies to the UK market," she says. However, it's not just about what's new. Clark is quick to point to the strength of the UK's existing system. "The UK has some of the best regulators, currently delivering sector-specific regulations and tailored advice," adding that "the country is in a good place when it comes to regulation."
But with a field as fast-moving as AI, the government knows regulation has to continue to evolve. A key step, the minister says, has been the creation of a new body to help accelerate the market introduction of emerging technologies with greater efficiency. This initiative aims to create a more agile regulatory environment that keeps pace with rapid technological advancements. "It's already looking at a whole host of areas, including AI in health care and autonomous technologies," she adds.
While much of the political debate around AI focuses on geopolitics and ethics, Clark often returns to a more local lens: the impact on schools, hospitals, and overstretched councils. AI is not just the concern of Silicon Roundabout or Big Tech - it's something already changing daily life. "Everyone is looking to utilise AI in one way or another. When we look back through human history, there is no emerging technology that hasn't had a transformative impact on our economy in some shape or form. I think the same is true of AI."
Already, she notes, practical examples of AI are emerging - often away from the headlines, but deeply embedded in everyday systems. "We're already seeing AI being adopted in classrooms by teachers to help them plan lessons and personalise learning experiences for children. In healthcare it's being used to deliver new drug breakthroughs that are helping us beat diseases. And also it's supporting the work of doctors to improve patient care rather than replacing them." She highlights one case in Devon. "The hospitals are using AI to improve stroke outcomes for patients. They're using AI to work out which patients can receive targeted treatment to break down blood clots and therefore improve the quality of life."
But perhaps where she speaks most passionately is within the public sector, where she spent years before entering Westminster. She recalls her time working in local government, where colleagues endured 14 years of austerity. The relentless budget cuts left the public sector stretched thin and struggling long before she arrived. Now, she says, technology could be part of the recovery. "There is a real opportunity to support the public sector with the use of AI to take the pressure off - providing staff more time to do what they are really there to do. There are huge opportunities where AI will genuinely transform the public sector, looking towards a time where there will be no more postcode lotteries." She frames it not in terms of job losses, but job support. "I think it's important to realise that disruption doesn't necessarily have to mean negative change." Forty years ago, many of today's jobs didn't exist - and the same will be true forty years from now. The future workforce will include roles we can't yet imagine. "I think we should see it not as a replacement, but as support for the workforce - to help them do better and bring enjoyment back into their jobs." In social work, for example: "Instead of spending three or four hours typing notes and looking at the actions, they can use AI for that dictation." It will free up time, better utilised elsewhere. Reflecting on AI, Clark describes it as a general-purpose technology - one with the potential to touch and transform every corner of society.
Despite the government's ambition, the competitive global landscape is real - and crowded. But Clark insists the UK remains one of the best places to build and grow in the AI space. In the first half of 2025, UK AI start-ups attracted a record $2.4bn in venture capital (VC) - accounting for 30% of all VC funding. It signals a clear and growing appetite to invest in the UK's tech future. "We are building up our AI sector to create an environment which supports companies of all shapes and all sizes to grow whilst putting British expertise at the heart of transformative new breakthroughs."