Law Society president welcomes government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan

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On Monday 13 January, the government published an AI Opportunities Action Plan, which has been welcomed by Law Society President Richard Atkinson. Atkinson said that the plan “demonstrates the UK's commitment to invest in AI and digital infrastructures, but above all in people and talent”.  

Developed by Matt Clifford CBE, it outlines the government’s strategy to “lay the foundations to enable AI” by:

• building sustainable AI infrastructure;
• introducing “AI growth zones”, which will have enhanced access to power and support for planning approvals;
• creating an AI energy council to ensure AI solutions are powered by clean energy;
• unlocking public sector data to be used for AI innovation, which ensures there are strong privacy-preserving safeguards;
• building a strong talent pipeline to work in the AI sector; and
• ensuring the right regulation framework is developed.

Atkinson noted his excitement at the prospect of “supercharging” the efficiency of the legal sector, highlighting the significant role the legal sector plays in the UK economy.

Looking to the future, he suggested that appointing “AI sector champions” would benefit all members, as would building an “AI knowledge hub that contains legal best-practice guidance, results, case studies and open-source solutions”.

Speaking on the government’s regulation plans, he added: “We need to close the gap for unmet legal needs, maintain public trust and improve access to justice by establishing transparent, ethical and privacy-preserving data infrastructures and datasets. This includes increasing regulatory capabilities and providing legal certainty through responsible AI regulation.”

In the plan’s foreword, Prime Minister Kier Starmer said: “In the coming years, there is barely an aspect of our society that will remain untouched by this force of change. But this government will not sit back passively and wait for change to come.

“It is our responsibility to make sure that Britain maintains its position as a world leader in AI, even as the competition increases.”

The plan suggests that AI adoption should take an approach of “scan, pilot, scale” and lays out 50 recommendations, along with timelines and notes on how the government intends to implement them. For instance, the government will develop its policy in response to the action plan ahead of the spring 2025 spending review and further elaborate on its approach in the Industrial Strategy’s Digital and Technologies Sector Plan.