Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government by what metrics they will determine whether the UK has become “the go-to destination for AI innovation and investment”, as set out in their Industrial Strategy White Paper; and by what date they intend to achieve that aim.

AI is emerging in its own right as a nascent industry with the potential to raise the productivity of diverse sectors and create entirely new jobs. To maximise this potential, the recently announced AI Sector Deal will establish a new AI Council to bring together respected leaders in the field from across academia and industry; a new delivery body within the government – the Office for Artificial Intelligence – to support it; and a new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.

Oversight of the implementation of the Sector Deal will be led by the Office for Artificial Intelligence, which will review progress against objectives regularly.

The new government Office for Artificial Intelligence will be established with responsibility for implementing this Sector Deal. It will support the AI Council which will oversee and drive the implementation of the deal.

An early role for the Office for AI will be to agree implementation plans for each section of the deal, including agreed success metrics.

Membership of the AI Council will be announced ahead of the first meeting. The main aim of the AI Council will be to provide strategic leadership and momentum in delivery.

The Office for AI will report to the AI Council regularly and will be subject to challenge sessions from government ministers on progress in implementing the Sector Deal. The Industrial Strategy team will provide the challenge on delivery timetable, metrics and ambition on outcomes as well as providing updates and escalation to ministers across the suite of Sector Deals.