- The AI APPG heard about the importance of inlcuding public voices in policy discussion around AI in the UK
- Local businesses in regions like Sheffield feel alienated by "sovereign" initiatives when credits go to companies based in Silicon Valley rather than supporting UK resilience
- Despite 拢4.1m investment in an AI Skills Hub, many courses require payment and rely heavily on US tech providers
- The Let's Talk AI campaign promotes awareness around AI literacy and widen the conversation about artificial intelligence
Susan Oman gave evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group on AI about AI sovereignty and the importance of public literacy and engagement at an event on 18 May.
You can read the full transcript,
The All Party Parliamentary Group met to discuss the role of AI in technology sovereignty and national capability, calling evidence from a number of experts. Dr Susan Oman was invited to speak, sharing her expertise, including evidence from projects including and the campaign.
Findings from Public Voices in AI saw that public concern around AI has grown, increasing by 10% between 2023 and 2025. Let's Talk AI builds on these findings, talking directly with communities with lower digital literacy to hear their views on AI. In her APPG evidence, Susan highlighted the need to focus on the role of a people-centred approach:
"Sovereignty is crucial for all considerations around British AI and its future. However, we won鈥檛 make the decisions that serve the UK without thinking about AI sovereignty as a profoundly societal question and one that demands multiple perspectives.
"If we want a resilient AI ecosystem, we must stop asking what the technology can do for our economy at macro scale without considering the economics of everyday choice and human behaviour...These alternative models should not only be informing delivery of infrastructure, but crucially communications around infrastructure decisions 鈥 and those key questions of the who, what and where of AI that drive policy decisions around AI sovereignty."
"We are beginning to see indications that AI sovereignty increases public trust and therefore support 鈥 including purchasing power, but there are also indications that AI sovereignty is limited by how we already live and work and what we know. For that reason, I propose we need to approach a people-centred approach for AI sovereignty."
Susan also shared the concerns of small businesses, as well as criticisms around the 拢4.1m government investment in an AI Skills Hub:
"Since the , the small businesses and start-up culture of Sheffield and the regions have eagerly awaited an announcement along the lines of . Sadly, they currently feel alienated by confusion over who counts and what counts in this initiative and struggle to see how it contributes to national resilience or competition...
"...[The AI Skills Hub] Launch included 595 courses, with only 14 benchmarked by Skills England. All these foundational courses were from US providers. Press releases foregrounded 鈥渇ree鈥 training for all, but 60% require payment, including some marked as free. Educators criticised the poor quality of provision, some of which are 10 years鈥 old, or no longer exist. Some aren鈥檛 relevant to the UK, or worse, misrepresent UK law on key issues to sovereignty, including intellectual property."