AI’s Impact Bigger Than the Industrial Revolution, Says Deputy PM

Deputy PM Oliver Dowden recently shared his views on artificial intelligence’s development in the UK with The Times, stating, “This is a total revolution that is coming. It’s going to totally transform almost all elements of life over the coming years, and indeed, even months, in some cases.”

He added, “It is much faster than other revolutions that we’ve seen and much more extensive, whether that’s the invention of the internal combustion engine or the Industrial Revolution.”
 

Uses of AI in UK Government

 
The Home Office is already using AI in its operations. They are now handling asylum claim applications with AI, which helps in making the process faster and reducing paperwork.

Dowden said about AI, “The thing that AI does really well right now is that it takes a lot of information from different datasets and helps you make decisions.”
 

What Industry Experts Have To Say

 
Sheila Flavell CBE, COO of FDM Group, said, “To truly make the most of AI, the UK needs a technically skilled workforce.” She pointed out that we need people who can lead in the development and use of AI.

John Kirk, Deputy CEO for Team ITG, talked about the fast pace of AI development and said, “AI has many benefits, especially in the creative sector.”

He also talked about the need to use AI in a safe and useful way.
 

 

The Difficulties of AI

 
Dowden talked about the possible bad uses of AI, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. He mentioned the data breach at the Police Service of Northern Ireland as a warning.

In this event, information about more than 10,000 officers was leaked.

Andy Ward, an expert in cybersecurity, said, “With the rise of AI, there are many business benefits. But we also need to think about the cybersecurity risks.”

He said that training staff and being ready to handle cyber risks is very important.
 

Going Forward with AI

 
Dowden believes that AI’s development will change the way our economy works, using the invention of cars as an analogy to how the invention changed the course of history forever.

Talking about the role of AI in the workplace, he said, “AI should do the boring parts of jobs, so people can do the more interesting things.”