The UK government has entered into a new partnership with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, in an effort to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency and innovation in public services.
Announced by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the agreement outlines a collaboration that may give OpenAI access to select government data. The AI technology could be applied in critical areas such as education, justice, national security, and defence.
UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle hailed the move as a major step forward, saying AI would be a “driving force for national transformation and economic progress.”
The partnership agreement, while not legally binding, outlines shared goals between the government and OpenAI, including the development of public safeguards, a potential information-sharing framework, and joint efforts in expanding AI infrastructure—likely involving the creation or enhancement of data centres.
OpenAI also committed to scaling up its presence in the UK by growing its London office, which already employs more than 100 staff members.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the partnership as a pathway to inclusive economic progress. “AI is a foundational technology for nation-building and economic transformation,” he said.
Government records show Altman and Kyle held meetings over dinner in March and April, highlighting the increasing policy focus on AI.
The collaboration has sparked discussions on transparency and ethical use. Dr Gordon Fletcher, associate dean for research at the University of Salford, noted that while AI could help skilled professionals focus on complex tasks, questions remain about the extent of public data access and privacy protections.
The announcement follows the launch of the Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, unveiled earlier this year by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to boost economic growth through AI. Though broadly welcomed, some critics, including the AI industry body UKAI, said the plan leaned too heavily on large tech firms while overlooking smaller domestic innovators.
This latest move signals the UK’s openness to US tech investment. Similar collaborations have already been made with AI leaders Google DeepMind and Anthropic.
According to government sources, OpenAI models are already being used internally within a set of AI productivity tools for the civil service known as “Humphrey.”
As generative AI systems continue to evolve—capable of producing everything from text and images to music and video—concerns persist around copyright, misinformation, and ethical data use. Some artists and rights groups have criticized the use of copyrighted material in training datasets without consent.
Despite those concerns, the government maintains that AI technologies, developed responsibly, have the potential to fuel innovation and drive long-term economic resilience.
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