UK Government commits to fund regulators to enable AI growth



In its AI Opportunities Action Plan, published on 13 January, the government says it intends to be on the side of AI innovators and also fund regulators to scale up their AI capabilities. The government aims to work with regulators to accelerate AI in priority sectors and implement pro-innovation initiatives like regulatory sandboxes, particularly for products which integrate AI into the physical world such as autonomous vehicles, drones and robotics.

The government plan is to require all regulators to report annually how they have enabled innovation and growth driven by AI in their sector.

The government is working towards establishing the National Data Library and intends to rapidly identify at least five high-impact public datasets it will seek to make available to AI researchers and innovators.

Stephen Almond, Executive Director for Regulatory Risk at the ICO, said:

“AI has huge potential to transform businesses and public services, which is why it is a priority area for the ICO. Data protection is essential to realising this opportunity and ensuring that the public can have trust in AI. As a whole economy regulator, we are committed to supporting organisations to innovate and grow responsibly while upholding people’s rights and freedoms.”

“To provide businesses with the certainty they need to innovate safely, we have already published detailed guidance on emerging AI issues, as well as providing practical support through initiatives such as our Regulatory Sandbox and collaboration with fellow regulators in the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum on the AI and Digital Hub.”

See:

PL&B UK Report January 2025 includes informative articles on AI;