🇬🇧 UK Weekly AI News Roundup (Week of 16 June 2025)
Publish Date: Last Updated: 30th June 2025
Author: nick smith - With the help of CHATGPT
1. Government & Industry Launch Major AI Skills Drive
- The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) has spearheaded a collaboration with tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, BT, Sage, and Salesforce to train 7.5 million UK workers in AI skills by 2030—targeting a fifth of the workforce.
- Technology Secretary Peter Kyle emphasised that workers must shift from “trepidation” to “exhilaration” when embracing AI
2. £2 Billion AI Action Plan & Sovereign AI Infrastructure
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed a £2 billion AI action plan, bolstering the UK’s ambitions to become a sovereign AI stronghold
- UCL and NVIDIA announced a partnership to build UK-based sovereign AI platforms, part of a broader Europe-wide effort.
3. Government AI Toolkit "Humphrey" Sparks Debate
- The civil service’s rollout of “Humphrey”—powered by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google—is under scrutiny. Critics worry about inadequate oversight, potential bias, IP rights issues, and over-reliance on big tech.
4. Capita-Backed Think Tank Flags Civil Service AI Fund Concerns
- The Social Market Foundation says the £3.25 billion government AI Transformation Fund lacks strategic clarity, which may limit its impact and lead to inconsistent adoption across government departments.
5. BT CEO Warns AI Could Drive Further Job Cuts
- BT Group’s CEO Allison Kirkby cautioned that AI-driven automation may lead to job losses beyond the 40–55 k roles already slated for elimination by 2030.
- BT already deploys AI in customer service via its “Aimee” assistant, handling ~60,000 weekly interactions.
6. Autonomous Robotaxi Pilot to Hit London Roads
- Uber is partnering with UK startup Wayve to test fully autonomous robotaxis in London. The pilot, targeting spring 2026 deployment, will use Wayve’s end-to-end “AI driver” systems on Ford Mach-Es.
7. AI Tool “Extract” Set to Speed Up Planning Applications
- The Government’s Incubator for AI (iAI) is trialing “Extract,” a tool that auto-extracts info from maps, PDFs, and docs to streamline planning application reviews—helping local authorities make faster, more consistent decisions.
🔍 Context & Insights
| Theme | Implications |
|---|---|
| Skills & Workforce | Massive upskilling drive is underway, but its scale means many will still need more formal or ongoing training. |
| Infrastructure & Sovereignty | The £2 bn investment and UCL–NVIDIA partnership signals serious commitment—but the UK lags behind US/China and must build datacenters fast. |
| ethics & Regulation | Tools like Humphrey and civil service funds face backlash—UK needs clearer governance to prevent misuse and bias. |
| Economic Impact | AI may bring productivity gains, but also job displacement in sectors like telecom and public services. |
| Smart Cities & Mobility | Robotaxis and planning-AI hint at broader urban transformations coming to UK cities. |
📡 What to Watch Next Week
- Updates from London Tech Week follow‑ups (policy debates, investment commitments).
- Developments in AI regulation: will the more “comprehensive” bill return after last week’s delay?
- Results from early piloting of robotaxis and planning‑AI tools.
Latest Ai News Articles
Weekly AI News Roundup for the UK November 8-15, 2025
The Last Week in UK AI: Infrastructure Hurdles and Privacy Alarms Signal a Rocky Road Ahead Week of November 8-15,...
Beyond Bureaucracy: How Agentic AI Could Rebuild Public Services, and Ensure They Truly Serve the Public
Beyond Bureaucracy: How Agentic AI Could Rebuild Public Services, and Ensure They Truly Serve the Public Why Agentic AI could...
Weekly AI News Roundup for the UK November 1-8, 2025
Weekly AI News Roundup for the UK (November 1-8, 2025) Week of November 1-8, 2025 This week, the UK AI landscape highlighted...
Why Small Businesses Are the Biggest Cybersecurity Risk in 2025
Why the Biggest Threat to Cybersecurity Comes from Small Businesses, and How AI Is Making It Both Worse and Better It does not...
AI Weekly Roundup Oct 26 - Nov 1 2025
AI Weekly Roundup: UK's Regulatory Push Meets Global Innovation Surge (Oct 26 - Nov 1, 2025) Week of Oct 26 - Nov 1,...
Appreciating The AI Revolution
A Front Row Seat to the Future: Reflecting on the Rise of AI Sometimes you just have to take the time to appricaite what we...
The Death of the Internet as We Know It
The Death of the Internet as We Know It The AI Bubble, Limited Choice, and the Race to Monetize Before It Bursts Could AI spell...
Not All AI Is Created Equal
Not All AI Is Created Equal How Biased Training Could Deepen Global Divisions Will AI deepen or help resolve our...
AI Questions and Answers section for UK Weekly AI News Roundup Week of 16 June 2025
Welcome to a new feature where you can interact with our AI called Jeannie. You can ask her anything relating to this article. If this feature is available, you should see a small genie lamp in the bottom right of the page. Click on the lamp to start a chat or view the following questions that Jeannie has answered relating to UK Weekly AI News Roundup Week of 16 June 2025.
Be the first to ask our Jeannie AI a question about this article
Look for the gold latern at the bottom right of your screen and click on it to enable Jeannie AI Chat.