Following on from an AI Adoption Summit that was held on Monday 8^th June, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said that its ‘Bridge AI’ scheme matching companies to British AI would gain an additional £100m as part of the £200m funding package.

A further £53m will be ring-fenced for other initiatives to support AI adoption and innovation, including expanding the Tech Town programme, which has so far focused on Barnsley.

There will be a £4m expansion to the Spärck AI Scholarships programme to sponsor up to 50 industry placements for university students at UK companies, including BT and Universal Music Group.

AI Growth Zones will receive £5m to upskill local workforces, and other projects include industry-led AI adoption plans written by AI ‘champions’ to help put AI in place in key industries.

AI Advisory Growth Labs will be established to trial AI in working environments, and economist Simon Johnson will chair the AI Economics Institute, which will track changes to jobs and growth resulting from AI’s expansion.

An agreement between the government and Google, Anthropic, Microsoft and OpenAI will also support evidence-based policymaking and AI development, and more than 30 major companies have signed up to share data and insights on how they are using AI.

Liz Kendall, technology secretary, said: “AI is the defining technology of our lifetime, and it has the power to transform lives for the better – but only if everyone gets a stake in it.   

“By giving workers the skills they need, opening up opportunities for young people and backing businesses of every size to adopt this technology, we can ensure AI delivers for everyone in every part of Britain.”

Chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “Britain’s future will be shaped by the choices we make now. Our economic plan is the right one, and AI and innovation is one of my three big choices to grow our economy.   

“Today we are going further and faster to drive AI adoption, give workers and businesses the tools and skills they need, and harness AI to deliver secure, resilient growth across the country.”