UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has laid out a strategy to help the UK boost its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, underpinned by research, access to shared assets, and support for innovators and universities.
It has published a six-point plan with a target completion date of 2031, by which time it says the research it supports will make the UK a global leader in explainable, human‑in‑the‑loop systems, agentic AI, edge computing and sustainable models. The 2031 target date also sets out ambitions for faster, reproducible science across disciplines through UKRI‑supported national AI testbeds and shared methods, as well as growing the research and innovation workforce to produce more deep technical experts and those who can drive AI companies and research groups.
From a data access perspective, UKRI’s goal is to open more environmentally sustainable compute and data foundations that provide equitable access to AI research resources through UKRI‑enabled infrastructure and new models released based on these resources, reusable, privacy‑respecting datasets, and Trusted Research Environments (TREs) that accelerate discovery and ensure data providers benefit from their contributions.
The UKRI’s AI safety objectives for 2031 include the UK becoming a co‑leader on global standards for safer, greener AI through UKRI international partnerships.
It also aims to foster a culture where the UK develops and fully harnesses the power of AI to drive economic growth, improve lives and livelihoods, and tackle major global and societal challenges.
Discussing the strategy, Charlotte Deane, senior responsible owner for the UKRI AI programme and executive chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, spoke about the UK’s strengths in mathematics, which puts it in a strong position to grow its AI ambitions. “We must make bold choices in areas where the UK can genuinely lead the world. UKRI will play a central role in backing the full innovation pathway from fundamental research to prototypes to scale-up,” she said.
“By uniting universities, businesses, industry and government, we can unlock the potential we have long had but have not yet fully mobilised,” Deane added.
Among the UKRI initiatives currently deployed are the Radar AI system, which detects faults on the railway network in real time, and the IXI Brain Atlas, which is supporting more than 40 clinical trials into degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Commenting on the strategy, UK AI minister Kanishka Narayan said: “The potential of combining our AI expertise with our peerless R&D community is a game-changer. This plan will harness AI to accelerate both the pace and possibility of scientific endeavour.
“We are already seeing AI change the game for what’s possible in fields from health to energy and beyond. Boldly backing this technology is how we push our great British innovators to further success, and build a path to breakthroughs that boost our health, wealth and wellbeing.”
Deputy prime minister David Lammy, who is leading the UK delegation at the India AI Impact Summit, said: “The UK is backing its pioneering AI leadership with more than £1.6bn in investment to make sure the best of British expertise develops the next wave of AI innovations. Together, we are turning potential into progress, and that’s the ambition I am bringing to the AI Summit in India this week.”
