Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase UK manufacturing capacity for the hardware required for artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum technologies.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is backing UK manufacturing capacity across these frontier technologies. Our £1.1 billion AI Hardware Plan will back British chip firms, support the scaling of hardware technologies in the UK, boost computing power and build the skills needed for long-term growth. We are backing advanced manufacturing with up to £4.3 billion over five years, including £38 million of grants to set up Robotics Adoption Hubs. For quantum technologies, we have committed up to £2 billion, including £140 million in infrastructure such as open-access pilot lines and cryogenics research and development.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support businesses to adopt artificial intelligence in ways that increase productivity without reducing employment opportunities for lower-skilled workers.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is supporting businesses to adopt AI in ways that boost productivity and create opportunities for workers.
In June, we launched the Pro-Worker AI Adoption Prize, recognising organisations that use AI to raise productivity, equip workers with new capabilities and create jobs. Through AI Skills Boost, we are providing free AI training and will help 10 million workers gain essential AI skills by 2030. The Early Careers Jobs Alliance will support continued access to high-quality opportunities for young people.
We are also strengthening evidence on AI’s labour market impacts through the AI Economics Institute, monitoring effects on jobs and skills.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the expansion of artificial intelligence data centres in the UK is supported by sufficient energy and grid capacity.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises that growth in AI and data centres is increasing electricity demand and that grid connection delays are a major barrier to new capacity in the UK.
To address this, the Government is reforming the connections process to better support strategically important demand, including data centres. Working with DESNZ, Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator, reforms will reduce delays, limit speculative applications and prioritise viable projects, helping unlock capacity faster while maintaining security of supply. Through the AI Energy Council, we are exploring a resilient, sustainable and scalable solution.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support UK businesses to make greater use of artificial intelligence to develop new products and services.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s ambition is for the UK to be the fastest adopter of AI in the G7, helping to unlock growth and productivity across the economy, and support new opportunities for workers. We have committed over £200 million to help UK businesses adopt AI so they can realise this opportunity and are working with industry, including through the appointment of AI Champions in key Industrial Strategy sectors, Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme which supports companies in areas of high growth potential which are currently low adopters of AI, and the AI Skills Boost initiative to upskill 10 million workers by 2030.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the growth of start-ups developing artificial intelligence and financial technology.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK is one of the best places in the world to start and grow an AI company: in 2025 we produced the second most AI start-ups globally and attracted the third highest levels of AI private investment. The financial services sector is adopting AI faster than the economy as a whole; 21% of firms, against 16% across all sectors. Through our Sovereign AI Fund, backed by up to £500 million, we invest directly in high-potential British start-ups, give them access to compute through the AI Research Resource, and provide grants through Innovate UK's £130 million Growth Catalyst.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the risk to the UK economy and national security from loss of access to frontier artificial intelligence models developed overseas.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is working to build domestic capability in AI where the UK has strengths; collaborate with trusted partners where this increases UK access and influence; and secure access to frontier capabilities where this is essential. We have taken significant steps to build sovereign capability through establishing the £500m Sovereign AI Fund to support UK AI companies; provision of compute via the AI Research Resource; establishing AI Growth Zones to build data centres; and the £1.1bn AI Hardware Plan to build out critical capabilities in key parts of the AI value chain.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the use of artificial intelligence and human-based laboratory models in the development of new medicines.
Answered by Lord Leong - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Government is supporting the use of artificial intelligence and human-based laboratory models in medicines development through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy and wider work to accelerate AI adoption across the UK life sciences sector. This includes investment in AI-enabled tools, organ-on-a-chip systems, advanced cell and tissue models, and other human-relevant approaches to predict the safety and effectiveness of new medicines. We have invested £20 million in the Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub and up to £2 million through Innovate UK to support innovative technologies, including AI tools and human tissue models. The Government has also appointed an AI Champion for the life sciences sector and is taking forward the AI Opportunities Action Plan to support the development, adoption and responsible use of AI technologies, alongside work to support their validation and regulatory uptake through the UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that employers using artificial intelligence in recruitment do not discriminate against women and older workers.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Most AI systems are already regulated at the point of use by our existing expert regulators. For example, the ICO is currently consulting on their draft guidance about automated decision-making, including profiling.
Government has also previously published Responsible AI in Recruitment guidance which sets out good practice procuring and deploying AI systems for HR and recruitment. This guidance highlights the mechanisms that can be used to ensure the fair and trustworthy use of AI in recruitment.
The AI Economics Institute has also been set up to research and monitor AI’s economic and labour market impacts to inform cross-government policy responses and ensure AI delivers positive outcomes for the economy, jobs, and workers.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that employers using artificial intelligence to monitor employees’ productivity and behaviour do so transparently and with appropriate safeguards for workers’ privacy and employment rights.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
AI presents significant opportunities to boost productivity, raise living standards and support growth.
That’s why we have launched the AI Economics Institute, bringing together economic research and policy expertise, to build the evidence base on how AI is affecting jobs, skills and productivity.
We are also currently consulting on Workplace Monitoring Technologies to help ensure that these technologies are used in a way that is fair and transparent while ensuring that rights and protections keep pace with technological change. The consultation closes 30 September.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of differing approaches to AI regulation in the UK, the EU and the US.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK recognises that international partners are taking different approaches to AI regulation. While jurisdictions such as the EU, US, Japan and other partners are pursuing distinct governance approaches, the UK is committed to a context-based regulatory approach where most AI systems are regulated at the point of use by our existing regulators, enabling targeted action where required.
As AI is a global technology, where information, materials and organisations interact across multiple countries, international cooperation remains essential. The UK will continue to work closely with partners around the world to promote secure, trustworthy and responsible AI, and to strengthen shared understanding of its opportunities, capabilities and risks. The UK already works with bilateral partners on this, for example the UK’s AISI works closely with the US Centre for AI Standards and Innovation to better understand the capabilities of frontier AI systems. The UK also continues to collaborate closely with multilateral partners to advance these aims, including through the G7, G20, the International AI Safety Report and the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science.