Key facts
- Britain risks becoming dangerously dependent on foreign AI if it does not develop its own capabilities.
- Technology Secretary Liz Kendall stated that 70% of global AI compute is controlled by just five companies.
- The UK government will develop a UK AI hardware plan to secure capabilities in chips and semiconductor technologies.
- Kendall argued that countries failing to master AI risk ceding control over their security and economic future.
- The UK has a $1 trillion tech sector and is home to institutions like the AI Security Institute (AISI).
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has warned that Britain must act decisively to build its own artificial intelligence capabilities and secure greater control over the technology, or risk becoming dangerously dependent on foreign powers. In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Kendall emphasized that AI is the defining technology of the current age, akin to navies and railways in previous eras, and is crucial for both economic prosperity and national security.
Kendall highlighted that 70% of global AI compute is currently controlled by just five companies, underscoring the strategic importance of controlling where AI systems are built, how they operate, and who ultimately governs them. She argued that this control is fundamental to economic, energy, and defense security.