UK AI Firms Make ‘Unhelpful’ Tools, Think Tank Says

British-based IT firms focus on developing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based business efficiency tools at the expense of real innovation, a new report warns. This preoccupation with ‘generic’ solutions diminishes the time and resources available for strategic concerns, such as upgrading healthcare and transport systems. The Institute for Public Policy Research compiled a database of 3,250+ British-based AI firms in the UK and revealed that 85% do not concentrate on specific problems or sectors.

This follows global research by identity security giants CyberArk, which found AI-based attacks on ‘machine identity’—a cornerstone of secure networks—were growing, with 81% of security experts surveyed expecting machine identity security to play a vital role in the future of AI itself.

It appears that hostile actors are more effective with the technology than many governments and legitimate enterprises. Despite verbal commitments to AI from Keir Starmer’s Labour—some of them unwelcome—the lack of a clear strategy is cause for concern.