Calls for a ‘British Library’ of the public’s data grow to help drive AI progress
A think tank’s proposal for the establishment of a “British Library for data” to help boost the UK’s position in the global AI race has gained the backing from a number of business groups and MPs.
Conservative think tank Onward has urged the government to create a British Library for public data in order to improve Britain’s position in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race.
In a new research paper, Onward suggested the library would take the form of a secure, centralised platform for anonymised data from across the UK’s public services.
This would allow startups and scientists to easily access the data needed to build AI models, the report argued, saying it will attract talent and investment to Britain.
Matt Warman MP, former Digital Minister, has supported the “exciting” idea. He said: “A new British Library for Data is an exciting idea to unlock the wealth of government-held information for scientific research and innovators.
“With an intense global race to lead in frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, this would help make Britain one of the best places to develop AI, attracting talent and investment. With rigorous safeguards, the potential is enormous,” Warman added.
The library could initially focus on NHS data before expanding to include data about taxation, benefits, crime, immigration, emissions and household utilities.
Onward also said it should be open to contributions from archives, universities and private companies to enrich the library’s data pool.
The think tank said it would be modelled on similar initiatives in the EU and US, such as America’s National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), which allows AI researchers to access data from partnered government bodies.
According to research by Tufts University, the UK has the world’s third-largest data pool, behind the US and China. But the study found this data was too outdated or hard to find for AI use.
Without its own initiative to unlock data for AI use, the UK risks falling behind in AI research and innovation, Onward’s report argued.
Anastasia Bektimirova, senior researcher at Onward, said: “High-quality, abundant data is necessary to propel AI research to new frontiers. The benefits could be great – from boosting startups and university-born breakthroughs, to enhancing public services.
“A British Library for Data would be an invaluable resource for scientists and companies across various sectors.”
Pre-empting concerns over data privacy, Onward said the Library should be built with “robust privacy-preserving mechanisms” to protect sensitive information and with clear guidelines for data access and usage.
Dom Hallas, executive director at the Startup Coalition, has also approved the idea.
“If done right,” he said, “better access to public sector data could lower the barriers to entry for entrepreneurs and provide another avenue for the UK to become a more competitive market to build and build on top of AI models.
“From using satellite imagery to decode environmental patterns, to analysing traffic flows to make our cities smarter, every byte of data could help to tackle real-world challenges.”
Onward said the library could sit within the UK Research and Innovation body and be paid for using the UK’s £90m funding pot for Administrative Data Research.
However, it is possible the project might be more expensive in reality, as the US equivalent, which is in its early stages, is in line to receive an annual budget of $800m per year for the next three years.
A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson said: “We’ve been clear data can be harnessed as both an important resource to drive forward our tech superpower ambitions and spark economic growth. We want to create an environment where private and third sector data is available, accessible, and usable across the economy, while protecting people’s data rights.
“The UK’s wider approach to AI is firmly rooted in innovation, and we are already starting to see our efforts translating into transformative change for people in all walks of life, from tapping into its potential to help tackle climate change and boost energy efficiency, to how we diagnose and treat diseases.”