Tech bosses warn Chancellor UK risks surrendering to foreign AI giants Tech Britain risks becoming dangerously dependent on foreign tech giants unless the government develops a comprehensive strategy for its own AI, industry leaders have warned the Chancellor ahead of his Budget on Wednesday. UKAI, which represents more than 270 AI businesses, has urged John Healey to commit substantial funding to a national sovereign AI strategy, warning [...]
Anthropic partners with British private equity firm to launch consultancy arm Prof Services Anthropic is launching a new AI consultancy business in Europe after partnering with London-based private equity firm Hg, according to reports. The company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models is expected to launch its consultancy firm by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported, set to be based in London [...]
Lawyers warned they carry the can for juniors using AI Legal Lawyers have been warned they remain accountable for supervising AI use within their law firm, particularly when junior employees are operating the technology. The Law Society, an independent body that represents solicitors in England and Wales, issued new guidance on Wednesday setting out the appropriate use of AI in legal work, meaning lawyers cannot blame [...]
UK tech race at risk from ‘far too cautious’ government, warns watchdog October 21, 2026 Britain risks falling behind in the global tech race unless the government takes greater risks backing British startups, the chairman of Parliament’s spending watchdog has warned. In a report published on Wednesday, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) urged UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to take more equity stakes in companies it funds, arguing taxpayers are [...]
Nscale eyes second $45bn deal with Anthropic after Microsoft setback October 20, 2026 British AI infrastructure firm, Nscale, is in talks to secure a second $45bn (£33.5bn) computing deal with Anthropic, just a day after Microsoft pulled out of its flagship UK data centre project. The Nvidia-backed company is negotiating an agreement to supply the US AI giant with computing power from a second facility at its Monarch [...]
Clearview AI fights £7.5m UK privacy fine over scraped web photos October 20, 2026 US tech firm Clearview AI is challenging a UK privacy watchdog ruling that found it breached GDPR rules by collecting and using images of UK residents scraped from the internet and social media. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) imposed a £7.5m fine on the US-based tech company in May 2022 and asked it to delete UK residents’ [...]
AI giant Perplexity taps London startup Valarian in sovereign tech drive October 20, 2026 US AI giant Perplexity has struck a deal with London-based startup Valarian to bring its technology into the UK government and defence systems, a major boost to Britain’s ambition to reduce its reliance on foreign tech infrastructure. The partnership will let governments and businesses handling sensitive information deploy Perplexity’s AI within their own infrastructure, keeping [...]
Nvidia’s $250m UK AI bet sparks warning over ‘foreign dependence’ October 15, 2026 Nvidia’s $250m investment in the UK’s AI safety research risks deepening the country’s dependence on American tech unless ministers ensure researchers retain control over safety standards, analysts have warned. The world’s most valuable company has pledged $50m a year in computing power over five years to support British research into autonomous AI agents, alongside plans [...]
Salesforce offers free AI tools to UK students as graduate job market lags October 15, 2026 As UK graduate vacancies hit their lowest level since 2020, Salesforce is offering free AI tools to six million students to help them meet employers’ growing demand for artificial intelligence skills. The US tech giant announced the scheme on Thursday, giving universities and colleges access to its workplace platform Slack and AI tools to help [...]
Law firms’ billing model faces disruption as clients turn to AI DIY advice October 15, 2026 Law firms are facing a new challenge as corporate clients are increasingly using their own in-house legal teams and AI tools to do legal work themselves, threatening the traditional growth and revenue model. According to new research from HSBC in their yearly UK Law Firm Strategy and Investment Survey, almost three-quarters of 100 law firms [...]