It’s official. Brexit can help the UK become an AI superpower and grow our economy because we don’t have to follow EU regulations. Beyond irony, this was recently confirmed, with never a blush, by our Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. That’s right, the politician who fought so hard to reverse the Brexit vote with a second referendum.
Sir Keir recently made a speech on the wonders of AI and how it could offer the UK the growth he promised. On regulating AI he said: ‘We are now in control of our own regulatory regime so we will go our own way on this’.
When a pesky journalist asked him if this was a Brexit benefit, he replied: “You’re right to say there’s different models around the world, there’s a sort of EU approach, the US approach, but we have the ability to choose the one that we think is in our best interests and we intend to do so”. That’s a yes then.
It’s hardly surprising that a government that’s nailed its colours to the growth mast should grab the vision of AI to ‘supercharge growth’. Sir Kier was almost ecstatic about “the vast potential” of AI, which would be ‘the defining opportunity of our generation” and was going to “shape the future”. One may wonder how a decision to have our own distinctive regulatory AI system will be received by the EU Commission and how it can be reconciled with Sir Keir’s desire to snuggle closer to Europe.
But at least Sir Kier has provided a powerful response to the Remainers who, for the four years since Brexit became reality, have banged on about not seeing the benefits of leaving the EU. Sovereignty does matter, after all.
Brian Morris is a media consultant and former TV current affairs producer
