Deb Kelly is a prison officer and a PE instructor then collapsed on the floor. Her whole face had completely drooped, her left side had gone completely weak—she was having a stroke. She was found by her son, rushed to hospital, where the doctors used artificial intelligence to help pinpoint the exact location of the blood clot. They successfully removed it.
Now, as you know, with strokes it’s always a race against the clock. Too slow and the patient may die, and every second of delay increases the risk of paralysis. But in Deb’s case—with AI—the whole procedure took less than three minutes. It saved her life. I spoke to her this morning, and she’s always been really clear about this. She said if that blood clot hadn’t been removed, she wouldn’t be here right now; I wouldn’t have spoken to her this morning. That’s the power of AI in action.
I’ve seen a version of this in Chelmsford, in the hospital there. They showed me how this works with strokes—finding the clot. They’ve got a big screen with the brain pulsating, and it’s really complicated. You’ve got to get the right point straight away, as quickly as you can. It’s revolutionary in terms of stroke care. And what that shows to me, Deb’s story, what I saw for myself, is that AI isn’t something sort of “of the future,” over the next hill; it’s the present. It’s already here in Britain, changing lives—a chance to turbocharge growth, create the companies of the future, and radically improve our public services.
We’ve known for a long time that it’s pretty impressive—never mind Luke Littler becoming the world champion at 17, we’ve seen computers learn “Go” from scratch and be the best in the world in just three days. Although to be fair to Luke, I’ve not seen a computer throw a 180 yet. But look, for all those people, there are lots of people who say, “Well, that’s all very well. What is ‘Go’? How does that help me? What does it mean for my life?” That story of Deb shows the point, because AI isn’t something locked away behind the walls of blue-chip companies. It’s a force for change that will transform the lives of working people for the better.
If you’re sitting around the kitchen table tonight, worried about the opportunities at your children’s school, AI can help teachers plan lessons tailored to your children’s specific needs. If you’re worried about waiting times—and aren’t we all—AI can save hundreds of thousands of hours lost to missed appointments, because it can identify those on the list most likely not to turn up, and help get them the support that they need—maybe change for a more convenient appointment. It can spot potholes quicker, speed up planning applications, reduce job center form-filling, help in the fight against tax avoidance, and almost halve the time that social workers spend on paperwork. Incredible.
And yes, there will be teething problems—of course there will. But we can’t lose sight of the vast potential here. I mean, look at DeepMind, which we’re all familiar with—that’s already transformed our entire understanding of biology. The idea of personalized medicine tailored to your DNA, the hope of treating diseases that we once feared incurable, the ability to predict and prevent illness long before it strikes—think of the lives that will save. Think about the impact on your life. Think about all the doctors and the nurses who will have much more time for the personal touch, the connection, the service that people really value.
In a way, that’s the irony of AI. It will make public services more human—reconnect staff with the reasons they came to public service in the first place. A force that will turbocharge every single element of our plan for change—the defining opportunity of our generation.
I do understand that change on this scale and at this speed can be worrying, particularly when experts warn about safety risks. And that’s why the last government was right to establish the world’s leading AI Safety Institute. And we will build on that. Indeed, later this month, the UK will lead the first ever Global AI Safety Test, working alongside our international partners. So be in absolutely no doubt—we will make sure that this technology is safe.
But I don’t think that’s the limit of what the state should do, and that’s where I disagree with the last government. We shouldn’t just focus on safety and leave the rest to the market. Government has a responsibility to make it work for working people. And the opportunities of this technology, they’re not just going to somehow fall into our lap. This is the global race of our lives.
Some countries are going to make AI breakthroughs and export them. Others will end up buying those breakthroughs and importing them. The question is: Which of those will Britain be—AI maker or AI taker? And right now, you know this: The investors, the entrepreneurs, the researchers who will make those breakthroughs—they’re looking around the world, they’re choosing where to make their home. Trillions of pounds’ worth of investment at stake. The battle for the jobs of tomorrow is happening today.
And we want data centers employing hundreds of people in the Northeast, technology hubs using the talents of researchers in the Northwest, world-leading robotics in the Southwest. But we have to be on the pitch. That’s not just a question of economic policy; it’s a question of values, too. Whose values are going to shape this technology as it develops—the open values that this country holds dear, or other countries? Who gets the benefits—just those at the top, or working people everywhere?
And I don’t think that a government should be neutral on these questions, and this government won’t be. Britain is going to shape the future. We’re going to make the breakthroughs, we’re going to create the wealth, and we’re going to make AI work for everyone in our country. This is the nation of Babbage, of Lovelace, of Turing, that gave birth to the modern computer and the worldwide web. So mark my words: Britain will be one of the great AI superpowers.
That’s not some sort of boosterism or wishful thinking. This can be done, and it will be done. There’s a reason why OpenAI, Anthropic, and Scale chose London as their international office. And there’s a reason Mistral AI—one of the champions of open source—have just announced a UK office, too. We’ve got Wayve building the tech to power a new generation of self-driving vehicles; Synthesia leading the world in AI-powered video; Blackstone building Europe’s largest data center in Northumberland. We’re number one in Europe for AI investment. We’ve already attracted more than £25 billion, and that’s just in the time this government has been in office. That’s what you get with a government that can be a trusted partner, with a clear strategy. It’s what you get with a reforming government, actually capable of driving through the supply-side agenda this needs.
Because, as you know, as this race speeds up, we’ve got to run further and faster. So, within days of taking office, I asked Matt Clifford to review how we seize the opportunities of AI. And I want to thank Matt, and indeed Peter Kyle and his team, for all their work. Because today, we’re not just publishing that review; we’re making a clear commitment to take forward all of the recommendations. And we’ll put the full weight of the British state behind this.
I’m determined the UK becomes the best place to start and scale an AI business. That will be the centerpiece of our industrial strategy. There’s never been a better moment for entrepreneurs with big ideas to grow a small company fast. So we’re going to create AI growth zones, breathing new life into sites like Culham in Oxfordshire. We’re going to remove the blockages that hold you back. This is a government that backs the builders, so if you’re looking at where to build your data centers, we’ll speed up planning permission. If you need better access to power—and we all know how big a challenge that is—we’ll get you those grid connections at speed.
You’ve asked for a gold-standard data framework, and now we’re going to deliver it. Access. And then, of course, the engine of AI progress—it’s what’s called compute. We’ll increase our public-sector compute not by a factor of two or three or even ten, but by twenty. That’s like upgrading from my dad’s old Ford Cortina to a Formula One McLaren in one go.
What about the talent? Well, we’ve got the High Potential visa route for the world’s top talent to move here. And we’re going to make it easier for tomorrow’s talent to learn here, training tens of thousands of STEM graduates and apprentices. But perhaps most importantly of all—and let’s be really crystal clear about this—when it comes to regulation, we will be pro-growth and pro-innovation.
On regulation—look, I know there are different approaches around the world. But we are now in control of our regulatory regime, so we will go our own way on this. We will test and understand AI before we regulate it, to make sure that when we do, it’s proportionate and grounded in the science. But at the same time, we’ll offer the political stability that business needs, and of course our British values—centuries-long heritage, rooted in democracy and the rule of law.
Put simply, our message to those at the frontier of AI capabilities is this: We want to be the best state partner for you anywhere in the world. That’s the measure of our ambition. And to help us achieve that, we’re not just accepting Matt’s recommendations—we’re bringing him into my team in Number 10, so he can help develop them. And as well as Matt, I’m delighted that the inspiring Nobel Prize winner Demis Hassabis is providing his expertise to the government as well.
But remember—go back to those two challenges here: Our ambition is not just to be an AI superpower, but also to make sure that this benefits working people. And that, of course, starts with jobs and investment in every part of the country.
I’m really pleased here today to announce that Kyndryl are investing in a new technology hub in Liverpool. Now, that alone will create a thousand new jobs. And also the InScalers are investing two billion pounds, and Vantage Data Centers another twelve billion—making fourteen billion pounds of new investment in data centers across the UK, creating another twelve thousand jobs.
But look, our plan for change also sets down a gauntlet for public services. And the blunt truth is: we’ve got to be much bolder. I’ve seen this for myself as a leader of a public service, and this is entirely human—but new technology can provoke a reaction, a sort of fear, an inhibition, a caution if you like. And because of the fears of a small risk, too often you miss the massive opportunity. So we’ve got to challenge that mindset, because actually, the far bigger risk is that if we don’t go for it, we’re left behind by those who do.
And that’s what I mean about totally rewiring government—being emboldened to take risks, as our brilliant entrepreneurs do. Restless and relentless. Because the prize within our grasp is the path to national renewal, and AI is the way to secure growth, to raise living standards, put money in people’s pockets, create exciting new companies, and transform our public services.
We’re all proud of our history—“the first industrial nation,” “the cradle of engineering innovation.” And I want people to look back on this generation and be proud of what we started today: that we grasped the nettle of AI, that we ran with it and made it work for working people. That’s who we are as a nation. It’s who you are as the pioneers of today. And it’s the ambition that drives this government forward. AI has arrived, our defining opportunity is here, and together we will harness it for the good of our country. Thank you very much.