As a result, the Tory leader encouraged the Prime Minister at the final Prime Minister Questions (PMQs) before the Budget to “continue to support emerging British tech business.”
“Our two predecessors, so Tony Blair and Lord Hague, have repeatedly come together and powerfully argued in their joint reports that it’s vital for the future prosperity of British economy, society and public services for us to be a world leader in technology and innovation,” he said.
“Now the Prime Minister may yet not be at our joint report writing stage yet.
“But in a similar spirit of cross-party agreement, can I ask him to find his inner tech bro and continue to support emerging British tech business and establish our country as the home of AI growth and innovation?”
However, Starmer highlighted AI’s “huge potential” for public services, calling it a “really important point.”
He said: “The leader of the opposition held a summit last year on AI which was very important.
“We have been bringing together the leaders of AI. We have a huge advantage in this country, being ranked in the top three in the world.”
He added: “AI is going to have huge potential for our growth, for our public services, and I think the whole house should be fully supportive of this.”
This comes as, earlier this year, the sector encountered a funding setback when the newly elected Labour government announced it would be scrapping £1.3 billion previously pledged for technology and AI initiatives.
However, the government defended the cuts, dubbing them “unfunded commitments” made by the prior Conservative administration.
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