Artificial Intelligence: UK Preparedness

Lord Markham Excerpts

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

The noble Earl makes an interesting point. Progress has never been risk-free. Every major leap forward has come with doubts, critics and problems to solve. If it had not, we would never have heard,

“one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”,

and Henry Ford would not have been making cars. With that same spirit, we are investing £500 million in our sovereign AI capabilities. It is why we are creating AI growth labs and growth zones. These are places where the private sector can invest, experiment, scale and turn ideas into real products. The facts are on our side. We are the third-largest destination for AI investment in the world, behind the US and China. We have world-class talent, ambitious companies and a drive to lead.

[Lord Markham (Con)]

My Lords, maximising the opportunities from AI while managing the risks rests on three pillars: compute power, skills and regulation. However, in each case, the government pace of delivery is being overtaken by the speed of technology change. Attempts to increase compute and energy centres are being held up by the planning system. The Government’s framework for AI and the national curriculum are still in the planning stage, and regulators are constantly playing catch-up with AI. It is clear that traditional methods of governance cannot keep pace with the speed of AI. What plans do the Government have to change this?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right to draw attention to this matter, on which he has been a long-time thoughtful voice. All I can say is that we are investing in this sector. We have put aside £500 million to develop our sovereign AI capabilities. We are going to establish AI growth zones and AI growth labs, where companies can invest, scale and test products before rollout. We are doing a lot more and, at the same time, are leading internationally in ensuring that the safeguards are there so that the products that are rolled out are safe for everybody.