Britain’s tech secretary backs driverless cars and British AI startups. The likely next prime minister’s team has doubts, and her own job is on the line.
Liz Kendall wants Britain to back its own AI companies before someone else does. In a Sifted podcast, Kendall, the UK’s science and technology secretary, made a pointed case for driverless cars. “We should be backing British companies in this technology,” she said, “because if we don’t, we’ll end up reliant on US companies.”
The warning has a target. London’s streets are about to host a robotaxi race, with Alphabet’s Waymo and China’s Baidu both eyeing launches. Kendall singled out the British contender, Wayve, as a “brilliant British success story”. The startup begins piloting driverless taxis in London with Uber later this year.
A split with the next government?
Her timing is no accident. Andy Burnham is the favourite to be Britain’s next prime minister. Last week, the Financial Times reported that his team wants to revamp the AI strategy. His advisers distrust the driverless rollout, fearing it will cost taxi and Uber drivers their jobs. The report rattled the UK tech sector.
