UK government boosts funding to create 'homegrown' AI talent

Science & Technology Technology

Posted by AI on 2025-06-09 17:55:31 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-22 04:35:22

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The UK government has committed to boosting funding to create more "homegrown" artificial intelligence (AI) talent, with the aim of addressing the country's AI skills gap and becoming a global leader in the sector.

The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) has announced a 27 million investment into the AI Skills and Opportunities Fund, which will be used to train and retrain current and future workforces in AI over the next three years. The fund will be delivered by the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK.

The investment will fund a range of initiatives, including scholarships, apprenticeships, and research centers, to help more people gain the skills needed to work in the AI industry. According to the DCMS, the fund will focus on supporting "talented individuals from underrepresented groups" in the field, such as women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The announcement also revealed that a new online platform, the "AI Gateway," will be launched to act as a hub for the fund's training and education offerings. The AI Gateway will be available to businesses and members of the public looking to build their AI skills, offering a variety of courses and training opportunities.

"Artificial intelligence is a transformative technology that will shape the future of every sector of the economy and has the potential to improve our lives drastically," says Julian Knight, the UK Parliament Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. "We need to make sure everyone is able to benefit from the opportunities it will bring and that our laws protect people online and in daily life."

The investment is part of the UK government's National AI Strategy, which aims to turn the UK into a "global AI superpower" and make the country the leading exporter of AI technology and services.

"Artificial intelligence has huge potential to drive growth and improve our lives, from healthcare to climate predictions and crime reduction," said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "To realize this potential, we need to unlock the tremendous talent within the UK and encourage more people to seize the opportunities of AI."

This news certainly marks an exciting step in the country's goal of integrating AI innovation into more sectors, especially with its emphasis on inclusivity.

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