Ada Lovelace Institute responds to AI Opportunities Action Plan

In response to the Government’s announcement of the AI Opportunities Action Plan on 13 January 2025, Gaia Marcus, Director of the Ada Lovelace Institute, said:

“We agree with the Government that the UK should be shaping AI technologies and their impact rather than accepting such decisions will be made by others. We also welcome the plan’s underpinning principles of shared economic prosperity and improved public services.

“It is particularly encouraging to see the plan’s recognition that the Government’s spending power can be used to shape the development of AI through smarter procurement, and the commitment to better resource regulators via the Spending Review.

“Much of the plan will require careful implementation to succeed. And there will be no bigger roadblock to AI’s transformative potential than a failure in public confidence.

“The Government should therefore be cautious of formally requiring watchdogs to implement growth goals. Regulators’ primary role should be to protect the public, and they could become discredited if they are not seen to be doing so.

“The public also have nuanced and often strong views on the use of their data, particularly in areas such as health. In light of past backlash against medical data sharing, the Government must continue to think carefully about the circumstances under which this kind of sharing will be acceptable to the public. Greater public engagement and deliberation will help in understanding their views.

“The piloting of AI throughout the public sector will have real-world impacts on people. We look forward to hearing more about how departments will be incentivised to implement these systems safely as they move at pace, and what provisions will enable the timely sharing of what has worked and – crucially – what hasn’t.

“Just as the Government is investing heavily in realising the opportunities presented by AI, it must also invest in responding to AI’s negative impacts now and in the future. It is critical that the Government look beyond a narrow subset of extreme risks and bring forward a credible vehicle and roadmap for addressing broader AI harms. This will benefit all people at risk of those harms, and secure their trust so that the positive impacts of these technologies can be felt widely.”