Leaders | BritGPT

How Britain can become an AI superpower

Rishi Sunak’s enthusiasm is welcome. But his plans for Britain fall short

Image: Justin Metz

GET READY for some big British celebrations in 2030. By then, if Rishi Sunak is to be believed, the country will be “a science and technology superpower”. The prime minister’s aim is for Britain to prosper from the booming opportunities offered by supercomputing and artificial intelligence. Generative AI has stoked a frenzy of excitement (and some fear) among techies and investors; now politicians have started to acclaim its potential, and British ones are in the vanguard. Britain, says Mr Sunak, will harness AI and thus spur productivity, economic growth and more. As he told an audience in London this week, he sees the “extraordinary potential of AI to improve people’s lives”.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “BritGPT”

BritGPT: How to make Britain an AI superpower

From the June 17th 2023 edition

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