UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak envisions Britain becoming an AI superpower, leveraging the potential of AI to drive economic growth and improve public services. However, the country faces significant challenges in its path towards AI success.

The most pressing problem is the lack of access to computing infrastructure, which is essential for training AI models at scale. No major cloud-computing companies have built large GPU clusters in Britain, limiting the country's ability to compete globally. The fate of DeepMind, one of the UK's most promising AI companies, highlights this issue, as it had to rely on Google's compute resources in the US to train its models.

The government's plan to invest in a supercomputer in Edinburgh is considered insufficient to address the computing problem. Renting computing from foreign providers is an alternative, but data security and sovereignty concerns often hinder this option.

The availability of clean and high-quality datasets is another challenge for AI development in the UK. Public agencies, including the NHS, possess valuable data but are often poorly organised and difficult to access. The government should focus on improving data management and exploring the potential of generating new datasets.

Additionally, there is a need to develop AI talent and expertise, as many skilled professionals are drawn to Silicon Valley. The regulation of AI is also crucial, and the UK should adopt a pragmatic approach, avoiding overly broad and sector-specific regulations. By combining ethical concerns with openness to innovation, the UK can establish itself as a leading AI hub.