The Labour government’s newly announced partnership with OpenAI has positioned the UK at the centre of a global discourse on the future of artificial intelligence in public services.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on Tuesday by tech secretary Peter Kyle and OpenAI chief Sam Altman, sets out a framework for collaboration across sectors like healthcare, education and national security.
Supporters in government have positioned the move as a sign of intent; a sign that Labour aims to make the UK a global hub for innovation, and isn’t afraid to work directly with Big Tech to explore digital transformation at scale.
Officials claim the agreement will accelerate the responsible deployment of generative AI in public services, particularly as the country faces pressure to boost productivity and improve service delivery.
Yet the MoU, which is both non-binding and contains no legal enforcement mechanism, has drawn criticism from academics, MPs, and digital rights campaigners alike, who say the government has released few details about how the partnership will work in practice.
Chi Onwurah, Labour MP and chair of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, described the agreement as “very thin on detail”, urging the government to clarify commitments around public data and accountability.
Civil-liberties and digital rights groups have echoed these concerns, warning the MoU may move “too fast without democratic input”.
They point out the absence of binding procurement processes or performance metrics, flagging a potential bypass of independent oversight structures like the AI Safety Institute.
Pressure to innovate, yet regulation remains light
The UK government has resisted more prescriptive regulation, positioning its approach as self-described “pro-innovation”, compared with the EU’s binding AI act and the US’s voluntary regime.
Tech secretary Peter Kyle has argued that Britain must remain “nimble”, supporting “safe deployment” of frontier AI without bureaucratic inertia.
James Fisher, chief strategy officer at Qlik, welcomed the move, arguing that the agreement signals the UK is “open for AI”. However, he cautioned that success hinges on robust, real-time data infrastructure.
Meanwhile, others agree that skilled, AI-literate public servants are also key for successful implementation.
But scepticism persists. UCL’s Wayne Holmes said: “It’s just utter, utter drivel and neoliberal nonsense”, and warned that policy makers were succumbing to the AI hype – calling the MoU “crazy”.
Holmes emphasised the urgent need for proactive regulation and public understanding of AI’s limitations.
Supporters argue that this early-stage agreement is a prudent step in an evolving strategy, and note that the government has stressed the MoU does not confer access to public data sets, while future procurement would adhere to existing data protection laws.
As international counterparts move to introduce stricter regulations and oversight, the UK’s “light-touch” strategy may come under increasing scrutiny.
With Labour stating that it will provide more detail in due course, attention now turns to whether the government can back its ambitions with enforcement safeguards and transparent procurement – ensuring that promises of AI-enabled innovation do not outpace public confidence.
