A former Labour adviser has slammed Keir Starmer's AI announcement, describing the Prime Minister's language as "terrifying" and disconnected from public understanding.
Matthew Torbitt expressed his frustration on GB News about the government's messaging around artificial intelligence.
His comments come after Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a pledge to "mainline AI into the veins of the nation".
Torbitt said: "With regards to the speeches, I wonder who he's speaking too when the vast majority of people are wary of AI or don't really know what it is.
Matthew Torbitt slammed Keir Starmer's AI announcement
GB News
"They will be fearful when the main line coming out of it is, we're going to mainline eye into the veins of the nation. What does that even mean?"
Bev chimed in: "It is terrifying"
He said: "Exactly. Again this sounds like it is a middle class P.G. Wodehouse novel. Who understands what that means?
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"It doesn't mean anything. It sounds like a like social media where parents go, 'no, kids can get hooked on it'.
"So I don't understand who they're speaking to with this stuff. It riles me."
The Prime Minister today outlined ambitious plans to make the UK a world leader in artificial intelligence, backed by £14bn in private sector investment.
Speaking on Monday, Starmer described AI as a "unique chance" to boost growth and raise living standards across the country.
Keir Starmer was delivering a speech about AI at a conference in London GB NEWSThe government's response follows recommendations from tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford's AI opportunities action plan.
"Harnessing AI and using it to deliver our plan for change requires ambition, purpose and focus," Starmer said in his foreword to the government's response.
The Prime Minister emphasised that AI "has the potential to transform the lives of working people" and promised his government would "not sit back passively."
Ministers have committed to expanding the UK's publicly owned AI capacity twentyfold by 2030, including plans for a new state-of-the-art supercomputing facility.
Matthew Torbitt said that the situation "riles" him
GB News
The new supercomputer will be powerful enough to play chess against itself half a million times per second.
The government says new "AI growth zones" will be created to drive jobs and investment nationwide, with the first to be established in Culham, Oxfordshire.
An AI Energy Council, to be chaired by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, will support the government's mission to become a clean energy superpower by 2030.
Around 30,000 teachers in England are already using an AI teaching assistant programme called Aila, according to Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden.
