AI is already being used in hospitals up and down the country to deliver better and faster care: spotting pain levels for people who can't speak, diagnosing breast cancer quicker, and getting people discharged quicker. 

In addition, AI has the potential to speed up planning consultations and to spot potholes and help improve roads.

The plan includes initiatives that will help make the UK the number one place for AI firms to invest, which is vital if Britain is to be at the forefront of this industry, including:

• forging new AI Growth Zones to speed up planning proposals and build more AI infrastructure.
• increasing the public compute capacity by twentyfold to give us the processing power we need to fully embrace this new technology - this starts immediately with work starting on a new supercomputer.
• a new team will be set up to seize the opportunities of AI and build the UK's sovereign capabilities.
• creating a new National Data Library to safely and securely unlock the value of public data and support AI development.
• a dedicated AI Energy Council will also be established, working with energy companies to understand the energy demands and challenges which will fuel the technology's development.

Starmer said: ‘The AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won't sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.'

It comes as three major tech companies – Vantage Data Centres, Nscale and Kyndryl – have committed to £14bn investment in the UK to build the AI infrastructure the UK needs to harness the potential of this technology.

Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle added: ‘AI has the potential to change all of our lives but for too long, we have been curious and often cautious bystanders to the change unfolding around us. With this plan, we become agents of that change.'

In response, Microsoft UK chief executive Darren Hardman, said: ‘The scale of this government's ambition for AI development and adoption in the UK is exactly what's needed to drive economic growth, transform public services and create new opportunities for all.

‘Maintaining the UK's position as a global leader in AI demands innovation and investment across the public and private sectors and Microsoft is fully committed to helping make this vision a reality.'