Will the UK invest £300m in Artificial Intelligence?

26th April 2018

UiPath

Lanna Deamer

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The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced that 50 technology companies and organisations have contributed to the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) deal worth almost £1bn, including almost £300m of private sector investment into UK sector. The announcement follows the launch of the government’s Industrial Strategy, within which AI was highlighted as one of the UK’s four ‘grand challenges’.

Boris Krumrey, Chief Robotics Officer at UiPath, has welcomed the news that the UK government plans to invest £300m in Artificial Intelligence research.

He said: “AI has the potential to benefit everything that we do. We are already seeing how, by combining RPA and AI, complex capabilities are beginning to emerge. While automation is able to streamline repetitive, rules-based business processes, the software is largely unable to deal with exceptions on its own or make decisions outside of how it has been programmed.

"AI can be used, even in addition to automation software, to approach tasks that require more complex decision-making and analysis, such as natural language processing, recommendation services, and online customer support.

“However, it is vital that there is further investment in research and education around AI and robotics, and the benefits this tech will bring such as increased employment opportunities. These jobs may look different than before and require other skillsets and knowledge. For example, individuals would be tasked with developing new automation technologies and managing the implementation of these technologies within our business environment.

"Furthermore, individuals will remain responsible for emotive occupations, such as therapists and teachers - professions that still have low automation potential.”