‘We will stay in control of NHS data’ as we advance AI, says Starmer

Henry Nicholls/PA Wire

By Sarah Lowden

It is important the UK keeps control of NHS data in order to protect patients, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he insisted it was also important companies can make use of it.

Responding to the AI Opportunity Action Plan (AI OAP), published on Monday, Starmer said the AI race is “speeding up and we must continue to move fast”.

The AI OAP, written by tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford, aimed at improving the UK’s use of artificial intelligence technology, has recommended the government should look “strategically” at what data to collect to advance medical research.

It states that the National Data Library should “run open calls to receive proposals from researchers and industry to propose new data sets”.

Speaking at University College London (UCL) East in east London on Monday morning, Starmer acknowledged “there will be teething problems” with the development of AI, “but we can’t lose sight of the vast potential,” he said.