Liz Kendall urges UK public to embrace AI as government makes first £500m fund investment
TL;DR
Technology secretary plays down fears over jobs and cyber security as stake taken in British startup The UK technology secretary has urged the country to “make AI work for Britain”, brushing off fears about its impact on jobs and cybersecurity as the government announced its first investment under a £500m sovereign AI fund. Liz Kendall said the UK had to “seize” the opportunity offered by AI despite concerns underlined this month when US startup Anthropic revealed it had developed an AI model that posed a potentially significant cyber threat. Asked how the government makes the case for embracing a technology that could disrupt jobs and now cybersecurity, Kendall said: “We have to seize this to make it work, for Britain, for our jobs, for solving the biggest challenges we face as a world.” Speaking on Thursday as the government unveiled its first investment in a UK company as part of a £5.
Nauti's Take
The £500m sovereign AI fund is a genuine strategic move: backing domestic AI infrastructure signals long-term commitment beyond political rhetoric. The risk is in the framing: publicly brushing off concerns about job displacement and cybersecurity undermines exactly the trust that makes AI adoption sustainable.
Businesses in regulated UK sectors can expect a clearer policy framework ahead; organizations with automation-exposed workforces need concrete transition plans, not just government encouragement.
Summary
Technology secretary plays down fears over jobs and cyber security as stake taken in British startup The UK technology secretary has urged the country to “make AI work for Britain”, brushing off fears about its impact on jobs and cybersecurity as the government announced its first investment under a £500m sovereign AI fund. Liz Kendall said the UK had to “seize” the opportunity offered by AI despite concerns underlined this month when US startup Anthropic revealed it had developed an AI model that posed a potentially significant cyber threat.
Asked how the government makes the case for embracing a technology that could disrupt jobs and now cybersecurity, Kendall said: “We have to seize this to make it work, for Britain, for our jobs, for solving the biggest challenges we face as a world. ” Speaking on Thursday as the government unveiled its first investment in a UK company as part of a £5
Sources