By Jessica Frank-Keyes
A new artificial intelligence (AI) opportunity forum to explore private sector adoption of the technologies will launch in the new year, No10 have confirmed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with his business council for the final session in 2023.
The group, which includes the CEOs of AstraZeneca, BAE Systems, Google DeepMind, Sainsbury’s, Barclays, Aviva, Shell and Vodafone, is intended to support the government in securing investment and ensuring the UK remains an attractive destination for firms.
The council, which is intended to meet biannually, first gathered in July. The final meeting of the year came on the day official figures showed inflation dropped to its lowest level for more than two years last month.
A No10 spokesperson said Sunak had announced the AI Opportunity Forum to the council this afternoon and that it would be led by Franck Petitgas, his business and investment adviser and science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan.
The forum “will explore in more detail the adoption of AI technologies across the private sector”, they added.
It follows Sunak’s AI summit at Bletchley Park earlier this year, which also saw him interview Twitter owner, Tesla and SpaceX founder and billionaire Elon Musk in a sit-down event.
Sunak also ended the year with a nod towards further tax cuts, as he welcomed news inflation had fallen to below half – 3.9 per cent – the 10.7 per cent figure in autumn of 2022.
Downing Street said this meant “delivering one of the Prime Minister’s key priorities” – to halve inflation – had been achieved.
The CEOs agreed this meant “opportunity for more economic growth and dynamism in 2024”, No10 also said.
Sunak said yesterday that “we met this target and we hit it early” and the UK economy was “on the right track”.
He added: “Now inflation has come down and the British economy has proved more resilient than was expected, we need to move on from the high spending, high borrowing, and high tax approach that was necessary to get us through Covid and the energy price shock.
“That is why – in just three weeks’ time – we are starting the new year with a tax cut. We are cutting National Insurance to deliver a £450 tax cut for the average earner, leaving more money in your pocket each month.”
