The UK Government’s announcement to be an AI superpower will impact every L&D professional’s future
Today to the UK government announced it’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, which has three key goals:
- To lay the foundations for AI
- To change lives by embracing AI
- To secure the UK’s future with homegrown AI.
These goals are interconnected and aim to position the UK as a leader in AI development and adoption.
The goals explored
Laying the foundations to enable AI: This goal focuses on creating the necessary infrastructure and conditions for AI to thrive. It involves:
- Building sufficient, secure and sustainable AI infrastructure
- Unlocking data assets in the public and private sector through the National Data Library (NDL)
- Training, attracting and retaining the next generation of AI scientists and founders
- Enabling safe and trusted AI development and adoption to be achieved through pro-innovation regulation and support for the AI Safety Institute (AISI)
Changing lives by embracing AI: This goal focuses on the practical application of AI to improve public services and drive economic growth. This involves:
- AI adoption as core to delivering the government’s missions
- Adopting a “Scan > Pilot > Scale” approach in government
- Enabling public and private sectors to reinforce each other
- Addressing private-sector-user-adoption barriers
Securing our future with homegrown AI: This goal focuses on ensuring the UK is a leader in the development of AI. This involves:
- Creating national AI champions, including the creation of a new unit, UK Sovereign AI, to partner with the private sector and invest in frontier AI companies
- Maximising UK’s stake in frontier AI with direct investment, access to valuable data, and support for talent acquisition
The plan also emphasises ethical and inclusive AI development, the importance of using AI to augment human capabilities, and collaboration between public and private sectors to ensure AI benefits society as a whole.
Reaction to the AI action plan
In response to the launch of the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, Hayfa Mohdzaini, senior policy and practice adviser for technology for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said: “Used well, AI can enhance jobs to make them more fulfilling for people. However, it will be important for employers to monitor how the technology is used and manage risk. A CIPD poll of over 1,500 people in January 2025 found that six in 10 respondents would trust AI to inform, but not make, important decisions at work. This highlights the importance of human oversight when introducing this technology.”
There is already an international shortage of skilled AI researchers and developers
Scientists commented on the talent and skills development issue: “The challenges facing the government in their worth ambition are huge. There is already an international shortage of skilled AI researchers and developers and this workforce is highly mobile, moving both internationally and between sectors, and commands high salaries which will need to funded. Training ‘tens of thousands of AI professionals by 2030’ will be extraordinarily hard to achieve – the ‘flagship scholarship programme’ to train 100 students is a drop in the ocean in this context.”
Mohdzaini of the CIPD added that “The HR profession should be at the forefront of discussions about AI implementation in their organisations. Employers and their HR teams should introduce clear guidance covering the ethical and responsible use of AI at work, data security and fair treatment of people.”
TJ’s sister publication Civil Service World highlights that other commitments include:
- “Creating a new function that will ‘draw on wider government functions to partner with AI companies’
- Committing to fund regulators to scale up their AI capabilities
- Publishing best-practice guidance, results, case studies and open-source solutions through a single AI Knowledge Hub”
The UK government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan has significant implications for Learning and Development (L&D) professionals, as it aims to integrate AI into various sectors and prepare the workforce for an AI-driven future. The plan’s focus on skills, technology, and innovation requires L&D to adapt and play a key role in ensuring individuals and organizations can leverage AI effectively.
Key implications for L&D
Upskilling and reskilling the workforce: The plan recognises that AI will change the labour market, requiring workers to adapt and acquire new skills. The report states that, “while some jobs will be replaced by AI, many will be augmented – and an unknown number will be created.”
L&D will need to develop programs that enhance understanding of AI
L&D will be central to delivering these initiatives by providing opportunities for workers to reskill into AI-related roles as well as in roles that are augmented by AI. The action plan also highlights the importance of lifelong learning programs that are ready for AI, adopting best practices from countries that are integrating AI into education.
Developing AI Literacy: A shared definition of AI is needed, as well as an awareness of its capabilities, limitations, and potential biases. L&D will need to develop programs that enhance understanding of AI, including how AI is trained, how to evaluate AI tools and how to use them ethically.
Integrating AI in learning design: L&D will need to incorporate AI into learning design and delivery, using AI tools to create learning content faster, facilitate information discovery, personalise learning experiences and provide performance support. AI can also be used to improve the quality of learning design and use data analysis to support decision-making.
Focusing on human skills: While AI is valuable, the plan recognises that human skills like emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving remain crucial. L&D will need to develop and nurture these skills, alongside technical capabilities, to ensure a balanced approach to AI adoption.
Addressing the gender gap: There is a gender gap in technology adoption, with men more likely to use AI than women. L&D needs to encourage women to embrace AI to promote equity and bring their diverse perspectives into the development and use of AI.
Supporting managers in an AI-driven environment: The Better Managers Annual Report stated that, “The role of the manager in organisational success is more critical than ever”. Managers need to be empowered to support the changes needed in an AI-driven workplace. L&D can help managers understand how to use AI effectively, and equip them to lead their teams in a way that integrates AI.
AI for personalised coaching and mentoring: AI can be used to provide scalable, cost-effective solutions for personalised learning and development, and to complement human coaching. Markus Bernhardt and Teresa Rose commented that, “coaching is now being democratised thanks to AI-driven tools that make personalised professional development more accessible to employees at all levels.” L&D needs to consider how to best use AI in a way that enhances, rather than replaces, human interaction and empathy.
L&D’s role for the action plan
Proactive engagement: L&D professionals should actively engage with AI technologies to assess how they can improve learning outcomes and be involved in the evaluation and selection of AI tools.
Stella Lee commented, “I would like to see us to get more actively involved in the AI tool evaluation and selection process. The market is really crowded right now with AI tools and we’re trying to figure out what to use for learning and development. It is not obvious that AI tools that are good for learning are not always explicitly labelled learning, and we don’t want that decision to be driven purely by IT.”
Strategic Alignment: L&D should align its initiatives with the strategic objectives of the government’s action plan and help organizations make the most of AI opportunities.
Matthew Borg said that L&D will be “able to increase your value to the organisation. You’ll have more time for things like aligning with business objectives engaging with senior leaders, working with frontline teams on how you can enable and equip them to drive the business forward and take it energy of these productivity gains”
Collaboration: L&D should work with other functions, such as IT and HR, to ensure a coordinated approach to AI implementation.
Jo Cook is Editor of Training Journal and virtual classroom specialist at her company Lightbulb Moment
This article was supported with analysis from Notebook LM
