Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the UK AI sector following the acquisition of the British AI start-up Faculty by Accenture, including plans to retain and grow high-skill AI jobs domestically.

The UK has a great history of successful UK AI startups. Faculty is an excellent example of a UK startup running with its vision and succeeding on a global scale.

We want to ensure that this ecosystem continues to thrive and recently announced a comprehensive package of support. This includes the Advance Market Commitments in which Government will act as a first customer for promising UK start-ups who are building high-quality AI hardware products. The commitment is backed by up to £100 million of government support to give British startups the opportunity for a competitive edge and to win customers in a multibillion-dollar global market. Alongside this, we are investing in workforce readiness through initiatives such as the AI Skills Hub, partnerships to train 7.5 million workers, and expanded university programmes like Pioneer Fellowships and Sparck AI Scholarships to equip people with the skills needed to retain and grow high-value AI jobs in the UK.