£1 billion sector deal for artificial intelligence

Woman in a VR headset pointing to a virtual touch screen (credit: Vertigo3d /

The Government have announced a £1 billion Sector Deal to boost artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

Today, Business Secretary, Greg Clark MP and Digital Secretary Matt Hancock MP have revealed the deal between government and industry set to put the UK at the forefront of the artificial intelligence industry.

More than 50 leading technology companies and organisations have contributed to the development of the £1 billion deal, aimed at boosting the UK’s global position as a leader in generating AI technologies. The £1 billion figure includes £300 million of new private sector investment.

A key objective of the Sector Deal is to establish the UK as a research hotspot and equip the next generation with the necessary skills to develop and capitalise on AI technology. The deal includes:

8,000 specialist computer science teachers;
1,000 government-funded AI PhDs by 2025;
The development of a global Turing Fellowship programme;
Ensuring every secondary school has a fully qualified computer science GCSE teacher; and
An AI pilot programme for 150 young people across the UK.


The new sector deal builds on the commitments made in the modern Industrial Strategy, which set out four Grand Challenges to put the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future. The AI Sector Deal is the focal point of the government’s Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenge.

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of TIGA, said:

“We are delighted that the Government is taking steps to ensure that the next generation have the skills to take advantage of the AI revolution.

“AI has the potential to transform the way we experience video games and home entertainment. We welcome that the Government is committed to making sure that our workforce can take advantage of these opportunities.

“For decades, the UK had led the way in video games development. If we want this to continue, we need to have the right skills to compete with studios across the world.”

Further details are available here