The UK’s AI Plan: Bold Move or Another Disaster?

Keir Starmer’s recent AI announcement? Big investment, big promises, and a whole lot of optimism. £14 billion from tech firms. Over 13,000 jobs. AI in public services, from spotting potholes to helping doctors detect cancer faster. Even a new UK supercomputer, replacing the one scrapped by the previous government.

Sounds great, right? Well… maybe.

The government’s pushing AI as the future, focusing on growth and innovation rather than the risks Rishi Sunak warned about—things like AI-powered cyber threats or out-of-control automation. Instead, it’s all about cutting costs, boosting productivity, and making the UK a global AI leader. But here’s the problem: the UK doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to big tech projects. And when you look at past government-led tech initiatives, it’s hard to feel confident this won’t go the same way.

Remember These Tech Disasters?

1. The NHS IT Nightmare (£10bn Down the Drain)

The government once tried to digitize NHS records with the National Programme for IT. Spent a decade and £10 billion trying. Scrapped in 2011. Why? Poor planning, bad contracts, and tech that just didn’t work. Now, they want to roll out AI in healthcare? Let’s hope it doesn’t turn into another money-burning exercise. And with tech firms now being given access to NHS archives to fuel AI models, as reported by The Times, the privacy concerns are only growing.

2. Facial Recognition That Got It All Wrong

The Met Police tried AI-powered facial recognition. It ended up misidentifying people—especially ethnic minorities—and sparking legal challenges. AI bias is a real issue. And if the government starts rolling out more AI-driven decision-making, this could get messy.

3. Universal Credit’s Digital Disaster (£600m Wasted)

Remember when Universal Credit was supposed to be “streamlined” with automation? That went well… if by “well,” you mean costing £600 million and causing chaos for thousands of people. Imagine if AI screws up welfare payments, tax systems, or job applications.

4. GCHQ’s Mass Surveillance (Public Backlash Killed It)

The UK wanted a spy database to track people’s online activity. Scrapped after massive public outrage. AI is great at crunching data, but if it gets used for surveillance, profiling, or dodgy decision-making, expect a repeat of this backlash.

5. HS2: The Never-Ending Money Pit

High-Speed Rail was meant to be £37bn. It’s now over £100bn, and big parts of it have been scrapped. If the government overpromises AI’s capabilities without clear costs and realistic timelines, we’re looking at another overpriced failure. Meanwhile, the UK is pledging to increase computing power to build its AI industry, as reported by the Financial Times, but with past projects going over budget, the question is: will this actually deliver, or just cost taxpayers even more?

So, Will This AI Plan Work?

Honestly? Maybe, but history says don’t get your hopes up. The UK government has a habit of overspending, underdelivering, and rushing into tech projects without proper planning.

• They say AI will “cut admin” and “boost efficiency”—so did Universal Credit’s IT system. Look how that turned out.
• They want AI to help in healthcare—but if NHS systems can’t even handle basic IT rollouts, good luck getting AI to work smoothly.
• AI is already making biased mistakes in facial recognition—so how will they stop it from messing up job hiring, policing, or government services?

The UK government is tearing up red tape to push AI forward, as AP News points out, but that aggressive approach could backfire if things aren’t properly thought through. AI could genuinely transform public services, but only if they learn from past mistakes. If not? Expect another billion-pound mess.