Chancellor John Healey has warned that the UK must develop more data centres but avoid the "free-for-all" with artificial intelligence seen in Donald Trump's US. He wants NHS and security data used with AI to be kept in Britain, amid concerns that foreign technology firms have too much access to sensitive information.
Mr Healey said this means the UK must develop more data centres, which are massive warehouses that run digital services, from online banking to AI. In the Budget, he announced "strict tests" that data centres must meet, including investing in local communities, creating local jobs and protecting local water supplies.
Healey: Data must stay in Britain
Mr Healey told The Times: "It [artificial intelligence] is coming, whether we like it or not. Many people are already using it. I want to avoid the free-for-all on AI and data centres we’ve seen in the States.
"So where NHS health data is used with AI, I want that data in Britain, not in data centres abroad. Where AI is used for our security, I want that data in Britain, for Britain, not abroad. To do that, we have to develop more data centres. I’m ready to back them if they provide the community benefits and can help build public trust.
"If we haven’t got the independence, we haven’t got some of the control and sovereignty on our AI capacity in the UK, then we will find that we can’t provide the level of confidence, the level of security that I think people are rightly wanting, and we can’t make the most of the big economic opportunities that are there."
US opposition and UK concerns
Opposition to data centres has exploded in the US, with more than 140 protests staged across 42 states on a single day in July. Some 56% of American voters said data centres were a "crucial or major" factor in their vote in the midterm elections, which were disastrous for Mr Trump, according to SSRS's Voter Poll.
Separate polling by Pew Research in September found more than half of Americans (54%) say data centres are mostly bad for the environment, half say they are mostly bad for home energy costs, and 49% say they are mostly bad for people’s quality of life nearby.
The UK already hosts hundreds of data centres. Plans for further expansion, including one in Brick Lane in east London, have triggered concerns from locals who say they'd prefer more social housing and local business development. There have also been fears about how the centres will impact local energy and water supplies, and whether this will affect people's bills. Environmental concerns have been raised because data centres need a large amount of water to stop them from overheating.
AI risk warnings
Doomsday warnings over the risks of AI have also erupted in recent months, including from Anthropic safety researcher Evan Hubinger, who claimed there was a greater than 10% chance that AI "could kill all humans" within the next decade.
