Artificial Intelligence Opportunities Action Plan

Baroness Stowell of Beeston Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston (Con)]

My Lords, on behalf of the Communications and Digital Select Committee of your Lordships’ House, I am pleased to welcome the AI Opportunities Action Plan, with the exception of the recommendation that relates to copyright. We will come back to that. It is important to emphasise the extent to which change will be necessary to deliver on this plan. In particular, the Government have to acknowledge a change in mindset across Whitehall and the public sector.

Perhaps I could ask the Minister how the Government will ensure that the action plan benefits UK start-ups and scale-ups and does not entrench market dominance by the established players in this area.

[Lord Vallance of Balham (Lab)]

I thank the noble Baroness for her input to date and on the important copyright issue. The question of market dominance is important. It is worth reflecting that Matt Clifford is an entrepreneur who deals with start-ups; the report is very strong on start-ups and what needs to be done to make sure that they are part of this, including what regulatory change needs to take place to encourage start-ups to do this. At the moment, it is quite difficult for them to navigate the system, including procurement. Government procurement is notoriously difficult for start-ups, and many of the specific aims of the plan pull that together to allow start-ups to access government procurement plans.

So there are very clear ambitions here to make this about growing an ecosystem of companies in this country, while recognising that many of the existing major companies, with which we will also have to work, are not here. Driving this forward will be a key task for DSIT right the way across government. It will need all-of-government activity, as outlined in the report.