Britain could be an AI sweet spot: Technology minister Starmers on regulation, Musk and freedom of speech | Artificial Intelligence (AI)

With the NHS still struggling, the prison crisis continuing and Britain's borrowing costs soaring, there are few things easy for Keir Starmer's current cabinet.

But even in such difficult times, the task of persuading Silicon Valley's best to help make the UK a leader in the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution has been met with one major tech boss using the Labor government as a regular punching bag and others ostentatiously pandering to the Donald. It's about getting closer. Trump is one of the most difficult people.

This is a mission entrusted to Minister of Science and Technology Peter Kyle, who has become an important figure in Starmus's cabinet.

If balancing concerns about freedom of expression online, the impact of AI on the climate crisis and the threat of wiping out humanity wasn't enough, the economic headwinds the UK is currently experiencing have led to the launch of the government's AI Action Plan this week. has become more important. And Kyle is worried that England might miss the boat.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said last week that he would remove fact-checking from his platform to encourage free speech. Photo: Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters

He told the Observer: We need to make a concerted effort as a country to make sure we are laying the groundwork while we are still at the foot of the mountain. I don't want us to be a country that is always buying from other people. I want us to be on the cutting edge. We are the third largest AI market in the world, but we have not even touched that aspect of its potential.

He said the UK was well placed to become an AI sweet spot, adding that if done right, the technology could not only save the country money, but also deliver higher tax revenues and valuable economic growth.

But it includes some big calls that could upset people within his own party.

The details of the AI ​​plan are not yet clear beyond talk of a Sovereign AI team tasked with helping UK-based businesses, but it does mean it will involve Kyle and Starmer speaking in language not usually associated with the Labor Party. It's already clear.

The topic is to limit regulation as much as possible and learn from the breakneck pace of development in Silicon Valley. It will also include a course correction on AI safety, which Kyle believes Rishi Sunak has paid too much attention to and alarmed the public in the process.

Kyle, who was once a passionate advocate for a second EU referendum, sees an opportunity to adopt AI regulations that could give the UK an edge over Europe.

I will not criticize other regions for the way they approach this very difficult challenge. But there is undoubtedly a different approach to how I legislate and regulate AI than the EU, he said. The UK does its best to encourage innovation, but we always ensure safety from the start.

One of Kyle's many political problems is that this week's announcement comes as big tech leaders shift to the right as they prepare for the arrival of Donald Trump.

Last week, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that the tech company would stop fact-checking and reduce restrictions on topics including immigration and gender. This was interpreted as a signal from Trump that Meta was now a free speech ally.

Zuckerberg also said he wants to work with Trump to confront a government that he sees as overzealous in regulating social media companies. There was no mention of the UK and its new online safety laws, but Zuckerberg accused Europe of being a center of censorship.

X owner Elon Musk has launched a bizarre attack on the Labor government. Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Xs owner Elon Musk regularly and fiercely attacks Britain and its Labor government.

Kyle's strategy is one of extreme pragmatism. He sympathizes with Zuckerberg and is looking for common ground. “What’s interesting is that there are people in Congress who are struggling with the same issues that I am,” he said.

Yes, he said twice, he wants to protect free speech, but he says he needs to do a better job of removing illegal content offline.

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This approach also applies to Musk. He said he was open to talking to all innovators and potential investors in AI in the UK.

The rest doesn't interest me, except for the kind of content that's starting to pop up around Jess. [Phillips, the safeguarding minister recently attacked by Musk]. But I have a very high bar for this.

But Kyle has one firm stance. No matter how keen the UK is to attract AI investment, its attempts to force social media companies to do more to combat illegal and harmful content will not go away.

The standards of these laws allow for a very high level of responsible freedom of expression, he said. But I just want to tell you this basic point. Access to British society and economy is a privilege, not a right.

And none of our basic protections for children and vulnerable people are up for negotiation. Safety is not in conflict with economic investment.

Then comes the tricky political question of the huge, power-hungry data centers needed to foster the AI ​​industry in the UK, and the pylons needed to connect them all to the energy they need.

Kyle said drastic measures would be taken. He said he would sit down with the Prime Minister on Monday to launch an AI action plan that clearly sets out how we will build the digital infrastructure that will underpin all this.

If you don't have computing power, if you don't have data processing power, if you don't have the infrastructure that ties it all together, you can't build anything on top of it.

And another problem is brewing at home. In the pursuit of big tech money, figures in the creative and media industries fear ministers are giving AI companies too much freedom to crawl original content to train their models, ultimately putting their livelihoods and businesses at risk.

Consultation on the matter continues and Kyle is in reassurance mode. I wouldn't choose one over the other, he said.

I think the consultation I presented is a very good starting point. And there are still a few weeks left for people to give their views. I'm 100% in genuine listening mode on this one. But what I won't do is pit them against each other.

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