Google has launched the AI Campus in Somers Town, Camden, aiming to equip UK students with essential digital skills for the AI-driven future. The campus, developed in partnership with Camden Council and Camden Learning, focuses on providing local sixth-form students access to cutting-edge AI and machine learning resources, mentorship from Google and Google DeepMind, and real-world projects across diverse fields like health, social sciences, and the arts.
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UK Prime Minister Shows Support
"AI has the power to change the way we fundamentally live, work, and learn, through its capacity to assist and empower people in almost every field of human endeavour. That's why it’s important that we support the next generation in being equipped with the right digital skills to thrive," said Debbie Weinstein, Vice President of Google and Managing Director of Google UK and Ireland, in a blog post on Wednesday.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer attending to show his support for our groundbreaking initiative to improve digital skills in the UK in our London home and his constituency, Google said.
The AI Campus will also offer broader learning opportunities starting mid-2025, with plans to extend out-of-school learning and masterclasses to the wider Camden student body. The initial pilot includes 32 students, prioritising those from underrepresented groups, including those eligible for Free School Meals.
Google's Investment in Raspberry Pi Foundation
Additionally, Google has invested over GBP 865,000 to support the Raspberry Pi Foundation's "Experience AI" programme, aiming to train an additional 250,000 students across the UK by the end of 2026. According to Google, this funding builds on its ongoing commitment to improving digital and AI skills, having already trained over one million people and businesses in the UK.
Google's AI Works program
Furthermore, Google said it recently launched the AI Works program to uncover the most effective ways to accelerate the uptake of AI skills and boost productivity across the UK.
"And by getting a first-class AI education, the next generation can pioneer the transformative use of AI. This is a mission that will turbocharge the UK's global competitiveness, but also the scientific breakthroughs that can change and save lives. This is the opportunity before us and Google is ready to play its part," Google added.
To support its investments through research-backed findings, Google also released a research report on the same day at the Google Cloud Public Sector Summit UK in London. The report suggests that AI could be the key to unlocking a more efficient UK public sector.
"New UK research commissioned by Google Cloud highlights the transformative potential of generative AI in the public sector. The report suggests AI could automate tasks, improve service quality, and generate significant annual savings," said Iain Burgess in a blog post.
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AI to Revolutionise Public Sector Efficiency
New research by Public First, commissioned by Google Cloud, which the company says paints a picture of how AI could revolutionise everything from healthcare to policing. The report, "AI and the Public Sector," surveyed 415 public sector workers in the UK and suggests that automation and generative AI hold significant potential for boosting public sector productivity, creating up to GBP 38 billion a year in annual savings by 2030.
According to the report, AI could automate up to a third of daily public sector tasks, such as records management and data processing, freeing up valuable time for employees to focus on higher-value work.
Furthermore, Google added that by streamlining administrative tasks and improving efficiency, AI could lead to better and faster service delivery for the public.
The report indicates that AI has the potential to significantly impact vital public services like policing and healthcare. For example, fully adopting AI for administrative tasks could free up the equivalent of over 160,000 police officers and could unlock 3.7 million more GP appointments every week, Google said.
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"These findings are a powerful reminder of how generative AI can be revolutionary for government services. Today we have an opportunity to drive forward public service reform by empowering citizens with the information and tools they need to make better choices and hold services to account. Now the digital centre of government, my department is testing how we can put AI to work in the public sector, whether that’s speeding up finding information on GOV.UK or empowering teachers by reducing administrative burdens, allowing them to dedicate more time to what they do best," said Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Tech.
