AI in the UK

Niels Footman and Matt Wilkinson
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

There's some amazing stuff going on with AI in the UK. From its thriving AI startup ecosystem to its world-class universities, the UK really does have a lot to be positive about. But it faces massive challenges too – financing, regulation and the way it copes with the huge structural changes that AI promises to bring. Every week, AI consultants Matt Wilkinson and Niels Footman discuss some of the latest AI news, surveys and developments and offer context on how AI is developing in their homeland.

Episodes

  1. FEB 10

    Big Brother Wins – and Loses; UK as AI Safety Centre; All Hail ElevenLabs!

    On this week's episode, AI consultants Matt Wilkinson and Niels Footman discuss: Big Brother Watch strikes a blow for civil liberties in the UK, as the campaigning organisation wins a case against the Met’s use of AI facial recognition technology. The UK takes further steps towards cementing its reputation as a global centre of AI safety. But does it have the scale – and the moxie – to solve tomorrow's problems? And ElevenLabs becomes the UK’s most valuable AI firm with an £8.6bn valuation. What chance a UK IPO?

    29 min

  2. FEB 3

    "Upskilling" and the UK's AI Action Plan, Big AI Advance in Cancer Diagnosis, UK's AI Video Champion Gains Major New Funding

    On this week's show, Niels Footman and Matt Wilkinson discuss: The UK’s AI minister has been very visible on social media this week, talking of "vibe shifts" and extolling a 75% success rate in the government’s AI action plan. With its talk of upskilling 10m UK workers and punchy-sounding investments, we ask: is the AI action plan really all that? A new NHS initiative offers the hope of big improvements in lung cancer treatment – but could it all be undone by bias? A new funding round has lifted the value of AI-powered video-generation company Synthesia to $4bn. A rousing UK success story or a missed opportunity to exit?

    34 min

  3. JAN 25

    UK's Light Touch AI Regulations, UK Startups Show AI's Contrasting Faces, Leaders Diverge Over Future of Work

    In this week's show, Matt Wilkinson and Niels Footman discuss: Financial regulators are comfortable with AI rules but parliamentarians disagree. Who's right?From restoring speech to faking intimacy, UK innovators are taking very different approaches to AI.As UK leaders present very different visions of the future of work in the age of AI, how prepared are we for what's next?

    32 min

  4. JAN 21

    AI Hallucinates a West Ham Game, Cambridge Engineers AIs With Doubt, UK's "Real World" AI Action Plan May Be Bearing Fruit

    This week, Niels Footman and Matt Wilkinson discuss: In the latest installment of “what were they thinking?”, an AI hallucinated football match costs a chief constable his job. While Silicon Valley optimises for confidence, Cambridge is engineering doubt — and regulators may prefer it. Forget chatbots — the UK is quietly betting that the real AI money is in mud, microbes and manufacturing.

    26 min

  5. JAN 12

    $1bn UK AI Exit, UK AI Digital Divide, Ofcom Launches Grok Probe, Can AI Save HMRC?

    This week, Niels Footman and Matt Wilkinson discuss: UK AI firm Faculty lands a $1bn exit. Great news for the founders — but how positive is it for UK tech?UK CFOs are suddenly bullish on AI. What’s driving the change in mood?In Cambridge, primary school lessons on training AI models raise concerns about a new digital divide.Facing mounting AI uncertainty, the Law Society calls for clearer regulatory guidance.Ofcom launches an urgent inquiry into Grok-generated sexual images on X. But if push came to shove, what could the regulator do?Can AI help HMRC close the £40bn tax gap without alienating the UK’s army of sole traders?

    45 min

  6. JAN 5

    Big Cheques, Long Queues, Hurt Feelings

    In this, the very first episode of 2026, Niels Footman and Matt Wilkinson discuss: UK tech investment had a solid year, with AI notably buoyant. But is funding now only for the tiny or the huge? NHS trusts are using AI to forecast A&E pressure this winter. Can AI prevail over the NHS's formidable capacity bottlenecks? By a North Korean margin, UK creatives have rejected the government's proposed AI copyright opt-out. What now for intellectual property? One in three UK adults say they are using AI for emotional support. The potential benefits could be huge — but so are the dangers. Stars in their AIs: celebrities including Daniel Kaluuya, Jack Whitehall and Maya Jama have started an investment fund whose focus includes AI startups.

    34 min

  7. 12/22/2025

    Capital, Clusters ... Confidence? UK AI Heads Into 2026

    As one of our presenters reflects on an enormous life change, we discuss: - Two chunky funding rounds for UK AI startups hint at a more assertive role for the British Business Bank. - The UK Research Institute announces plans to shower £12bn of investment over strategic sectors — including AI and video games — over the next four years. But should the government be in the business of picking national champions? - As DeepMind broadens its partnership with the UK government, might there be lessons for other foreign-owned, UK-based tech companies? - With a new survey showing 30% of NHS GPs are now using gen AI in their clinical work despite a lack of comprehensive regulation, we ask: is this reckless? Or actually more ethical? - To wrap up the year, we laugh in the face of naysayers and outline why, just maybe, 2026 could be a banner year for UK AI. We'll be back in 2026. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!

    45 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    Episode 4: GEO Rising, Grids Straining, Governance Lagging

    Having blown past the notorious fourth episode at which 50% of podcasts supposedly fail, we discuss: - As two UK startups land substantial funding rounds for GEO/AEO-related tech, we ask: might this be an area of strength for the UK? And how proven is AEO anyway? - Two new UK academic reports highlight the mental-health threats of misused chatbots — and the government seems to be listening. - A new report suggests that power consumption by UK data centres could rise five-fold by 2030. Is more nuclear the answer? - New research from Shoosmiths and FT Longitude indicates that UK firms are adopting AI far faster than they're implementing relevant governance. Just how big a problem is this?

    43 min

  9. 11/29/2025

    Episode 3: The Budget "Special"

    This week, hosts Matt Wilkinson and Niels Footman discuss: - What does the UK budget mean for AI? (Prepare to be underwhelmed) - A new report from the National Foundation for Educational Research suggests 3m "lower skilled" jobs could be displaced by AI, but the net effect over the next 10 years could actually be 2m job gains. So what's going on? - Reasons to be cheerful? Traditional UK strengths — defence, life sciences, professional services — might provide AI opportunities for the country. - A new NHS initiative using AI in colonoscopies gives a whole new meaning to "deep research". - Some punny AI news: can AI do dad jokes?

    36 min

  10. 11/25/2025

    Episode 2: Investment, Antibiotics and AI Abominations

    This week, hosts Matt Wilkinson and Niels Footman discuss: - Ahead of the Budget, the UK government announces a broad range of AI investments, "AI Growth Zones" and regulatory changes — but is it all close to ambitious enough? - UK's big pharma firms using AI to accelerate medical discoveries - The perils of AI-issued financial advice - Why Paul McCartney and the people of Kingston Upon Thames are equally irate about AI creations

    44 min

  11. 11/17/2025

    Episode 1: The Big Introduction

    Welcome to the first episode! This week we cover: - Who are we and why are we doing this? - The prompt launch of ChatGPT 5.1 in the UK and why other tools can take ages to get here - Early stage optimism v public market scepticism - CIPD data on AI's effect on the jobs market - Could AI be boosting Nimbyism?

    30 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

There's some amazing stuff going on with AI in the UK. From its thriving AI startup ecosystem to its world-class universities, the UK really does have a lot to be positive about. But it faces massive challenges too – financing, regulation and the way it copes with the huge structural changes that AI promises to bring. Every week, AI consultants Matt Wilkinson and Niels Footman discuss some of the latest AI news, surveys and developments and offer context on how AI is developing in their homeland.

Information

  • Creator
    Niels Footman and Matt Wilkinson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Niels Footman and Matt Wilkinson
  • Show Website
    AI in the UK