Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support research developments on artificial intelligence in the UK.

AI and data-driven research is a priority for government, and is critical to responding to the AI and Data Grand Challenge outlined in the Industrial Strategy. The Autumn Budget announced£75m specifically for AI and Data – including 450 additional AI research PhD places by 2021, and a Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation looking at issues around data, including use for AI – a world-first. An overall increase in £4.7bn R&D funding by 2021, including money made available through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, will also stimulate AI-based solutions – for example through the Robotics and AI Extreme Environments programme. Government continues to fund primary research in computer science and data analytics through the research councils, and from 1 April, UK Research and Innovation. The joint DCMS/BEIS Office for AI will work with a new AI Council on skills, technology adoption and AI workforce diversity.