Just a short time ago.U.K.The new Labor government promised to put Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the center of its agenda. Yet right now they're shelving $170 million that would have been spent on AI and technology projectsfunds, the purpose of which is to balance the books of the state.
The new government says this is because they took over a financial mess from the Conservatives, with new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves going so far as to accuse the previous government of "covering up" a $27.9 billion shortfall in public spending.
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In the midst of this austerity, manyAI Projectsforced to make way. Most notable is the project for a billion-dollar megabillion sub-supercomputer in Edinburgh, Scotland. The supercomputer was to have been one of only a handful of megabillion sub-supercomputers in the world, and would have meant a great deal to researchers. But now its future is in limbo, with Sir Peter Mathieson, vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, seeking urgent talks with the science minister.
In addition, $633 million in funding that would have provided computing resources for AI research was also eliminated. The administration defended this by saying that they only cut "unfunded commitments."
Despite this, the Labour government has not given up on AI, having recently launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan, a roadmap to accelerate the use of AI to improve the UK's service sector. Matt Clifford, founder of startup gas pedal Entrepreneur First, was appointed by the government to lead the program.
The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has also launched an AI Opportunities Unit to implement the recommendations in the action plan. Science Minister Peter Kyle said, "Together we will use AI to drive productivity and economic growth across the country, making everyone better off."
However, the news of the funding cuts has been met with mixed reactions. Some see it as rather disappointing for a country that invented computers and software, while others see it as a "good move" to help the AI field "pause and lose some of the noise".
Toby Cubitt, co-founder and CTO of Phasecraft, said the funding uncertainty could affect the UK's tech sector, emphasizing that:- "Growth and innovation, not austerity, is the solution."