The UK government has announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into public services to boost national productivity.
Under the agreement, OpenAI may gain access to government data and provide AI technologies to sectors such as education, defence, security, and the justice system. Though not legally binding, the deal outlines a framework for collaboration and shared ambitions between the UK and the AI pioneer.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle described AI as a fundamental driver of national transformation and economic growth. The partnership is positioned as a key part of the Labour government’s broader innovation strategy, which includes its AI Opportunities Action Plan introduced in January.
As part of the deal, OpenAI has committed to expanding its London operations, which currently employ over 100 staff. The agreement also paves the way for possible investment in AI infrastructure, such as new or expanded data centres to support large-scale model development.
The statement of intent further highlights plans to establish an information-sharing programme and develop safeguards to protect the public and uphold democratic values. It emphasises responsible AI use within government systems and services.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman welcomed the deal, stating that AI will be central to future economic prosperity and transformative for national development. Transparency data revealed that Altman and Kyle met several times earlier this year in connection with the initiative.
However, the government’s enthusiastic embrace of AI has not been without criticism. Campaigners, particularly from the creative industries, have raised concerns about the use of copyrighted material in training generative AI systems like ChatGPT. These tools can produce human-like text, images, audio, and video based on prompts – often using data scraped from the internet, including books, films, and music.
Critics also warn of the risks of misinformation, with AI tools occasionally generating inaccurate or misleading responses. Others, including industry representatives, argue that the government’s AI strategy places too much emphasis on large tech firms while overlooking smaller, homegrown contributors.
Despite these concerns, the UK remains open to international AI investment and has recently signed similar deals with major US-based companies such as Google and Anthropic. The government believes that these collaborations could position the UK at the forefront of AI innovation, with the potential to develop transformative technologies on British soil.
Among its current initiatives, the government is already using OpenAI models in internal productivity tools for the civil service, collectively known as “Humphrey”.
With the UK economy experiencing sluggish growth — forecast at just 0.1% to 0.2% for the second quarter — the government hopes that partnerships like this will stimulate progress and create long-term value through cutting-edge technology.
