Last week, the government announced the AI Opportunities Action Plan, with a promise of a £14 Billion AI investment plan, aiming to ‘unleash AI in a decade of national renewal’.
Matt Clifford, British entrepreneur and Chair of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), was appointed as an advisor on the Plan. He emphasised its transformative potential for the UK economy and public services.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has committed to implementing all 50 recommendations within the document and spoke about how AI can ‘transform the lives of working people’.
David Smith, DPO and AI Sector Lead at The DPO Centre sees the AI Opportunities Action Plan as a welcome step.
‘It has the potential to drive significant innovation and productivity across both the public and private sectors. However, part of the strategy relies on leveraging public sector data, which raises privacy concerns about the adequacy of anonymisation and other proposed safeguardsWhen transferring personal data to a third country, organisations must put in place appropriate safeguards to ensure the protection of personal data. Organisations should ensure that data subjects' rights will be respected and that the data subject has access to redress if they don't, and that the GDPR principles will be adhered to whilst the personal data is in the.... There is also a notable absence of any unified primary legislation to govern the safe development and use of AI, with the approach seeming to favour a fragmented strategy spread across a number of different regulators.
‘It remains unclear whether the government’s approach will provide these regulators, including the ICOThe United Kingdom’s independent supervisory authority for ensuring compliance with the UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations etc., with the skills, capacity, and influence they need to provide effective regulation.
‘There is also a question of whether there is enough clarity for businesses looking to develop AI systems. This could position the EU as the de facto AI regulator, given the clear standards set by the EU AI ActThe EU Artificial Intelligence Act was approved by the EU Council on 21 March 2024. A world-first comprehensive AI law, intended to harmonise rules for the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence systems across the EU. and that most organisations in this space operate at a global level.’
The DPO Centre are watching developments with interest and will advise our clients as more information becomes available over Spring and Summer 2025.
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