UK's grand plan to fuel AI with public data faces uphill battle
Agents will look for info elsewhere unless official sources sharpen up
The UK’s hopes of fueling cutting-edge AI development and applications with a National Data Library (NDL) could be dashed unless it makes datasets easier to use.
With misleading titles and non-existent metadata, the data currently available cannot support any meaningful analysis, a study from the Open Data Institute (ODI) found.
In the Autumn Budget of 2024, the government confirmed plans for the NDL, promising researchers and businesses “powerful insights that will drive growth and transform people’s quality of life through better public services and cutting‑edge innovation, including AI.” In January, it published an update, saying the plan was backed by a £100 million investment as part of £1.9 billion being provided to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) through 2028/29.
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