Frequently Asked Questions About the AI Opportunities Action Plan

1. What is the AI Opportunities Action Plan?
• The AI Opportunities Action Plan is a UK government initiative designed to accelerate the adoption of AI across various sectors, enhancing growth, productivity, and public service delivery.
• Find out more here
2. Who is leading the development of the Action Plan?
3. • Tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford, Chair of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), was appointed to lead the development of the Action Plan. Clifford submitted his report to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology in September 2024. We are waiting for the final publication of this report (Dec 2024). We expect that the Action Plan will include a number of recommendations across several Government departments.
   • Read more.
4. What are the main objectives of the Action Plan?
   • The plan aims to:
     • Build a scalable and competitive UK AI sector.
     • Accelerate AI adoption to enhance growth and productivity.
     • Improve public services through AI integration.
     • Address infrastructure, talent, and data access needs.
5. When will the Action Plan be published?
   • The exact publication date has not been announced, but recommendations were delivered to the Secretary of State in September 2024. On behalf of its members, UKAI is calling upon the Government to publish the action plan as soon as possible.
    
6. How will the Action Plan impact UK businesses?
   • As part of the process to produce the Action Plan, Matt Clifford obtained input from many businesses. The Action Plan is expected to provide strategies for AI adoption, fostering innovation, improving productivity, and enhancing global competitiveness for UK businesses. The Labour Government has indicated that it believes that there is a significant role for the AI sector to play in driving economic growth across all of the UK. UKAI recommends an ongoing dialogue between Government and the AI sector to ensure that any Action Plan is dynamic and able to reflect the ever evolving needs of AI businesses. UKAI champions the active involvement of the AI sector in the implementation of the Action Plan and ongoing feedback and dialogue with the Government. Further UKAI argues that the AI sector includes non-technical businesses who are upskilling their employees and supporting their customers to learn new AI skills and tools.
    
7. What role will the AI Opportunities Unit play?
   • To support the launch of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the Government has indicated that it will create an AI Opportunities Unit within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). A number of jobs in this Unit have been advertised since August 2024, but there is still very little information about when the Unit will be operational. It is expected that this will be clarified in the Action Plan.
    
8. What sectors will the Action Plan focus on?
   • While specific sectors have not been detailed, the plan aims to boost AI adoption across all parts of the economy, including public services. UKAI calls for the Action Plan to promote policies that benefit the entire UK AI sector, comprising both large and small business, tech and non-tech businesses, as well as academia, third sector and investors.
    
9. Will there be funding opportunities associated with the Action Plan?
   • Details on funding have not been specified, but the plan may include recommendations for investments to support AI infrastructure and talent development.
    
10. Where can I find more information about the AI Opportunities Action Plan?
    • Official updates and publications will be available on the UK government’s website.