Overview

• Tony Blair Institute/Ipsos polling finds 38–39% of Britons view AI as an economic risk versus 20% who see an opportunity, challenging Keir Starmer’s AI‑led growth plan.
• The survey of 3,727 adults reports more than half had not used AI in the past year, with 38% citing distrust in AI outputs as the main barrier to adoption.
• A government review says only 8% of UK manufacturers have introduced AI or machine learning, with obstacles including high upfront costs, skills shortages, patchy use‑case information and regulatory uncertainty.
• Former government AI adviser Matt Clifford warns the UK risks losing ground to global rivals without faster adoption across sectors such as financial services and life sciences.
• The government cites plans to train 7.5 million workers by 2030 and its AI Assurance Roadmap, as reported US tech commitments total about £31bn, including £22bn from Microsoft for infrastructure and a national AI supercomputer.