Securing Leadership in the Era of AI Competition
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The UK government has announced a 10-year national strategic plan to develop the country into an artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse. This move is seen as an active effort by the UK to secure leadership in AI amid the intensifying technological hegemony competition between the US and China over core technologies in future industries such as AI.
On the 22nd (local time), the UK government unveiled the so-called "National AI Strategy," outlining a 10-year AI development plan focused on enhancing AI utilization by domestic companies, attracting multinational capital investment in the AI industry, and nurturing AI talent.
Chris Philp, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, stated on the day, "We have prepared a blueprint for the next decade," adding, "It is aimed at harnessing the potential of AI and securing leadership in AI technology development."
The announced strategy also includes establishing a national AI research and innovation program to promote collaboration and joint research among AI researchers within the UK.
Additionally, the government plans to expand investment in regions outside London, where the AI industry is currently concentrated, to foster AI industry development in other local areas.
The government intends to increase related investments and allocate resources to apply AI in sectors where AI technology is currently underutilized, such as energy and agriculture.
Nathan Benaich of Air Street Capital expressed, "We expect the announced strategy to activate the UK's AI potential," emphasizing, "To secure AI leadership, active technological development in fields such as life sciences, energy, and cybersecurity is also necessary."
The UK's announcement of a national AI strategy aims to avoid falling behind in the AI hegemony competition led by the US and China.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), from 1998 to 2017, the US maintained its top position globally with 50,000 AI patent applications. During the same period, China filed approximately 41,000 AI patents.
In contrast, the number of AI patents filed in the UK during this period was only about 2,000.
Amid this, there are predictions that China could surpass the US to become the world's largest AI powerhouse.
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, warned in a report by the US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) released in March, stating, "The US is not sufficiently prepared to survive the hegemony competition in the AI era," calling it "the harsh reality we face."
As AI competition heats up, there is also an interpretation that the UK government feels a sense of crisis as numerous UK AI startups are being acquired by foreign capital.
DeepMind, Google's AI subsidiary famous for AlphaGo, was founded in the UK, and many other UK AI-related startups such as Magic Pony Technology under Twitter and VocalIQ under Apple have fallen into the hands of US big tech companies.
Moreover, ARM, a mobile device semiconductor design company acquired by Japan's SoftBank, is also a UK technology company.
With UK AI-related companies at risk of being dominated by foreign capital, it is analyzed that the government announced the 10-year AI strategy on this day to accelerate AI development under government leadership.
Beth Singler, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, assessed, "The UK government appears to be seeking fields where it can secure a competitive advantage over other countries in the post-Brexit world."
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