05. A say for the public
The Problem
The biggest decisions about how AI will reshape the country are being made without the public — by tech executives, lobbyists, and a handful of officials. The public knows it, and the polling shows it. 84% of people in the UK fear the government will prioritise its partnerships with Big Tech over the public interest. 89% support an independent regulator with enforcement powers. 91% say fairness should come before economic gains and innovation speed.
The most visible symbol of the AI revolution arriving in communities is the data centre. They come with huge power demands, modest job offers, planning fast-tracked through AI Growth Zones — and almost no convincing case to the people living nearby about what they stand to gain. Trying to steamroll concerns won’t work. The AI transition must retain public consent.
84% of people in the UK fear the government will prioritise its partnerships with Big Tech over the public interest
What we want
A managed, fair AI transition needs democratic consent,
We’re campaigning for:
- Ongoing public monitoring of how AI is being adopted, through worker and civil society voices in policy making including via the AI Economics Institute.
- Meaningful community benefit where AI infrastructure is built through binding agreements, and full disclosure of costs and benefits including climate impacts
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Public deliberation a on the big choices ahead: what stays human, how the gains are shared, what the state does with its leverage
The public is sceptical of AI for good reason. That scepticism needs to be treated with respect through an adequate policy response.