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Thank you so much. It鈥檚 really fantastic to stand here and look out and see so many people in this room鈥攖o get a real sense of the energy, the commitment, and the professionalism, the entrepreneurial spirit that we have here.

Let me start by thanking you all for being here. We鈥檙e going to have a really good Tech Week. We already kicked off yesterday. We鈥檝e got some major announcements to make, some real partnerships to build together, and I鈥檓 just so pleased to have this opportunity鈥攖his privilege鈥攐f opening this morning. It鈥檚 a real pleasure for me.

My constituency, the area I represent, is London. I鈥檓 a London MP, and that means I understand first hand just how important our sector is as we go forward鈥攚hether it鈥檚 entrepreneurs or the spirit in London, this is hugely, hugely important.

We have to recognise that for many people, they see AI and tech as transformative鈥攕omething that鈥檚 going to do so much. And every time we say 鈥渙ver five years or ten years,鈥� everybody says to me 鈥渋t鈥檚 going to be more like five years or three years.鈥� We鈥檙e going to bring about great change in so many aspects of our lives. Whether that鈥檚 in health鈥攚here I鈥檝e seen for myself the incredible contribution that tech and AI can make. I was in a hospital up in the Midlands, talking to consultants who deal with strokes. They showed me the equipment and techniques that they are using - using AI to isolate where the clot is in the brain in a micro-second of the time it would have taken otherwise. Brilliantly saving people鈥檚 lives. Shortly after that, I had an incident where I was being shown AI and stethoscopes working together to predict any problems someone might have. So whether it鈥檚 health or other sectors, it鈥檚 hugely transformative what can be done here.

Last Monday, I was in Scotland launching the Strategic Defence Review of the government. This was a review I commissioned soon after we came into power to tell me what are the risks we face as a country in this new era? What are the challenges? What are our capabilities? And how do we make sure that, as we go forward, our capabilities match the risks and challenges we face as a country.

In that, tech and AI were absolutely central. Over the last three years or more, during this awful conflict in Ukraine鈥擨鈥檝e been back to Ukraine on a number of occasions in that period to have in-depth conversations with President Zelensky to make sure our support is in the right place. But I was really struck, on the trip before last鈥攑robably about six or seven weeks ago鈥攂y the extent to which technology and AI are now having a direct impact in that conflict. In three years of conflict, the way that war is being fought has changed profoundly.

So I wanted that hardwired into our Defence Review鈥攁 sense of how AI could be driving change. There are so many examples across government. I鈥檝e set the challenge to all of my teams: show me how they can use AI鈥攏ot just in the output of government, not just in partnership with yourselves and others in the delivery of services鈥攂ut also in the very way we do government. How can we transform what we do?

There are certainly examples of that. I spoke to a social worker in Downing Street at one of our receptions. She explained to me, with a smile on her face, just how AI is slashing her paperwork and her caseload. She talked me through how she鈥檚 now doing her work. What she said was that this was helping her transform her work鈥攂ecause she could concentrate on the human element of it. She could use AI and tech to help with the parts that could be done more quickly. And from that, I鈥檝e always said: AI and tech make us more human. It may sound like an odd thing to say, but it鈥檚 true鈥攁nd we need to say it. Because, some people out there are sceptical. They worry about AI taking their jobs. But I know from audiences like this, this debate has been had many times. We need to push past it. But people worry: will it make their lives more comfortable? Even for businesses, the pace of change can feel relentless. I know you all get that. But when it comes to harnessing the power of this technology, I believe the way we work through this together is critical. And that means partnership and partnership is at the heart of everything we do in government鈥攚orking with you. You are the entrepreneurs who will drive this country forward. Our job as partners is to create the best possible conditions for you to succeed. That鈥檚 why events like this鈥攁nd the conversations we have in the margins鈥攁re so important. Because we can only create the right conditions if we鈥檙e having that conversation. You鈥檙e able to put your fingerprints on what we鈥檙e doing.

Just look at the raw facts. This industry supports over 2 million jobs. That鈥檚 incredible. Or take this statistic: in 2023, our AI sector grew 30 times faster than the rest of the economy. That is incredible. So this is about what we鈥檝e achieved. It鈥檚 about who we are as a nation. What signal do we want to send to the rest of the world? The signal I want to send is this: a Britain that, after years of chaos, is a stable partner for investment. A Britain that believes the future should be shaped by our values. And that in this volatile world, is proud, unashamed, open for business.

I think鈥攁nd hope鈥攜ou can see that in our approach to trade, in the new deals we鈥檝e done just in the last few months. We鈥檙e determined to create new markets鈥攚hether that鈥檚 in India, the US, or Europe. You can see it in our openness to investment as well. On that front, I鈥檓 really pleased to welcome what I see as yet another vote of confidence in Britain today: the announcement that Liquidity will base their European headquarters right here in London. That鈥檚 a 拢1.5 billion investment into our economy. It means better access to finance for entrepreneurs right across the country. It鈥檚 a vote of confidence in our AI Opportunities Action Plan as well. We put that plan out at the beginning of the year. We鈥檙e really proud of it鈥�50 recommendations, all of them accepted by the government. At the heart of it is partnership in action. It shows our ambition to be the best state partner for tech entrepreneurs anywhere in the world. That鈥檚 the bar. That鈥檚 the ambition I鈥檝e set.

So I can also announce today that we鈥檙e committing an extra 拢1 billion of funding to scale up our compute power by a factor of 20. You know how important that is鈥� a huge increase in the size of Britain鈥檚 AI engine. It means we can be an AI maker, not just an AI taker. More importantly, it means we have the digital infrastructure we need to make sure AI improves our public services. Because we do have a defining mission in that plan鈥攁 responsibility, if you like鈥攖o harness this unprecedented opportunity and use it to improve the lives of working people. This is a shared mission. We鈥檙e a mission-driven government. But this is a shared mission. Because social fear I was talking about a moment ago鈥攖rust me, I think that is the challenge for adoption. It鈥檚 a far greater challenge than the regulatory barrier, although that can be a challenge too. But it鈥檚 an area where government can help鈥攚here we can do our bit in this partnership.

Take planning, for example, which is a huge priority for this government. We are going to build more labs, more data centres鈥攁nd we鈥檙e going to do it much, much more quickly. Our Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament right now is a real game-changer. Each of you in this room knows how important it is to change our rules on planning, infrastructure, and the regulatory environment鈥攁nd how that can drive growth in building homes 鈥� what a difference that could make. Again, the human that sits there with the tech and the AI鈥攂ecause the security of having an affordable home is hugely important. I come from a working-class background, and at times we struggled as a family to make ends meet. But we owned our home, and that gave me a sense of security鈥攁 base camp, if you like鈥攐n which I could build my life, my opportunities, and my aspirations. I want that to be there for everyone in the country鈥攖hat base camp. And AI can help on this.

This is how we explain and lead people down this transformative path. And in that way, in pushing forward, we鈥檝e developed a powerful new tool. We鈥檝e done this in-house, and I鈥檓 really proud of that鈥攖hat as a government, we鈥檝e taken on the challenge and developed something in-house, just to prove that governments can innovate. We use that word all the time, and some people don鈥檛 associate it with government鈥攂ut we have. We鈥檝e developed what we call Extract. It鈥檚 being trialled in councils in Exeter, Westminster, Nuneaton and Bedworth. It takes old, handwritten planning documents and put them into digital form in seconds. Jobs that would otherwise have taken hours and hours鈥攄one in seconds. A hundred planning records per day, and the usual average up till now is five. So, you can see鈥攊t鈥檚 a huge productivity boost and we want to roll that out. It doesn鈥檛 just show that the government can innovate, it also means faster planning decisions, which I think comes as a relief to many people in this room and beyond鈥攂oth in AI and in British business more broadly. And of course, it鈥檚 money-saved for councils, so they can spend their money on other things. It turns into more growth and more opportunity.

But most of all, it speeds up the future that we need. AI innovation making a difference for working people. The same, of course, is true across the public realm. We鈥檙e looking at how AI can speed up discharges from hospitals鈥攈ugely important. I鈥檝e looked into this in our hospitals. Getting people out the back door more quickly鈥擜I can help with that. Same with the asylum backlog, how can AI and tech help us deal with that? Or teachers鈥攈elping them personalise lessons for their pupils. Again, using their time better, making them more human. Giving them that interaction so that every child gets the best possible chance in life. What a difference personalising what they do can make to so many children.

In every case, you can show AI innovation making a difference for working people. But to truly succeed in this mission then one of the biggest parts, and you鈥檒l all have heard this many, many times in the conversation about AI, tech, growth and investment and business. It always comes back to this point: skills. It is one of the key concerns in any business in technology鈥攁ctually, in any business pretty much across the board鈥攐ne of the great worries for working people, and the same for any parent, is always: What does this mean for my children? What does it mean for their future? So today, I am really delighted to announce what is a step change in how we train homegrown talent in AI. A partnership with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million workers in AI by 2030.

I would also like to thank NVIDIA for partnering on a new pipeline. Jensen is here with us for the 鈥渋n conversation鈥� we鈥檙e so grateful for that partnership. That allows us to expand their lab in Bristol, and that will make a huge difference to opportunity and jobs in the South West. We鈥檙e also going to bring the full powers of government with a new tech-first training programme. That鈥檚 up to 1 million young people trained in tech skills鈥攖hat will be so crucial for their future. That鈥檚 a 拢185 million investment, embedding AI right through our education system, starting in our secondary schools with subjects like computer science. At universities, a new scholarship programme for high-flying students鈥攕upporting the best and brightest personally, so they can focus on their research on the next frontier.

So from school all the way through鈥攁nd on top of that, extra support for small businesses, along with their student leavers, so they can recruit the technology skills they need. And this鈥攖rust me鈥攊s a package that should make a massive difference to the aspirations of working people.

At the end of the day, that is what this must be about. I want young people in the poorer parts of my constituency鈥攁nd I鈥檓 thinking in particular of a place like Somers Town, between Euston and King鈥檚 Cross, where there鈥檚 so much of that tech and entrepreneurial AI belief鈥擨 want the children in Somers Town to look out of their classroom windows and feel 鈥測es, I can be part of that success. This could belong to me.鈥�

That鈥檚 why the work we鈥檙e doing in schools, universities and colleges is so important鈥攖o make them feel they鈥檝e got a role, they鈥檝e got aspiration, they鈥檝e got a future. They can鈥檛 aspire to do something unless they can see it, feel it, and understand what it is. In this country, the technology needs to be built in our brain. Just to give a short example of that鈥攑raising tech companies for investing in Somers Town. I鈥檝e thrown this challenge out many, many times: how do we make the children in the poorest part of my constituency aspire to work in your centre? And Google AI opened a campus in Somers Town. They鈥檝e taken up that challenge. It is tremendous. I went there for the opening鈥攊t鈥檚 right next to the school where I envisage those students who wouldn鈥檛 necessarily have seen their future in tech. And now that campus is right next to their school they can see it every day and they can feel it.

That鈥檚 a really good example. Thank you to the tech sector for stepping up to that challenge. But now we need to go further. By the end of this Parliament, we should be able to look every parent the eye, in every region in Britain and say 鈥� look what technology can deliver for you. We can put money in your pocket; we can create wealth in your community; we can create good jobs and vastly improve our public services and build a better future for your children. That is the opportunity we must seize, that is what my Plan for Change will deliver. And today, I think we鈥檙e taking another big step towards it.

So thank you very much for being here and thank you for letting me have the privilege of opening today. Thank you.