The British government has launched a digital strategy to make Britain a global technology superpower It was announced at the beginning of London Science and technology week to address the skills, investment and infrastructure issues in the science and technology sector. It is understood that the strategy will conduct an external review of the UK's computer capabilities, and a new committee will strive to narrow the digital skills gap.
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Chris Phil, the digital minister, said about the plan: "in the past five years, the UK has taken the lead in Europe and become a global leader in science and technology. Now we are setting the direction for the future. The digital strategy is the road map we will follow to strengthen our global position as a science and technology superpower. Our future prosperity and position in the world depend on it."
Under the plan, the UK government will focus on the six pillars that it considers essential for "sustained digital growth". They are infrastructure, intellectual property, skills and talent, financing, national approaches and global leadership. As part of the infrastructure pillar, the UK government will focus on providing a touch sensitive regulatory regime that will still protect citizens while encouraging growth.
The British government said that under the pillar of ideas and intellectual property, it would like to see an increase in research and development in the UK - including in the fields of artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing.
In bridging the digital skills gap, the digital strategy will promote employer led training. In addition, the British government has also funded 2000 scholarships to ensure that the country has enough people working in the cutting-edge fields of artificial intelligence and data science.