编译自：Government promises £20m investment in robotics and artificial intelligence
英国政府周日宣布，将投资1730万英镑支持高校机器人和人工智能（AI）研究。
埃森哲报告显示，到2035年，人工智能技术会为英国带来6540亿英镑的经济增长。英国公共政策研究所近期预测，未来20年成百上千万工作岗位将被自动化设施取代，其中，到2030年零售行业工作岗位将减少200万，制造业将减少60万。
Benevolent Tech公司CEO、英国政府AI研究负责人Jérôme Pesenti表示：“一直以来，关于AI有很多毫无根据的负面炒作，但它能够驱动英国经济发展、创造就业机会、培育新的技能、促进行业积极转型，同时稳固英国在技术创新领域的世界领先位置。”
此次声明是英国政府最新“数字战略”的一部分，计划旨在找出并支持能够促进经济转型、提高生产力的行业，全文将于周三发布。除了投资技术、科研领域，还将包括行政部门的全面现代化。
长久以来，因为该战略计划迟迟未能出台，英国政府备受指责。早在2015年，时任数字化部长Ed Vaizey就表示将于2016年初推出计划。对此，官方回应表示要考虑脱欧的影响，才不得已拖延。不过，有消息称，政府部门对公共服务现代化的抵制是一个关键因素。
Government promises £20m investment in robotics and artificial intelligence
The Artificial Intelligence industry could add around £654 billion to the UK economy
The government will launch a review into Artifical Intelligence (AI) and robotics in an attempt to make the UK a world leader in tech.
The government said in a statement on Sunday that it would invest £17.3 million ($21.6 million) in university research on AI. Artificial intelligence powers technologies such as Apple’s SIRI, Amazon’s Alexa, and driverless cars.
According to a report by consultancy firm Accenture, Artificial Intelligence could add around £654 billion to the UK economy.
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research recently forecast that millions of jobs will be lost to automation over the next two decades. Researchers predicted that two million jobs retail jobs will disappear by 2030 and 600,000 will go in manufacturing.
Jérôme Pesenti, CEO of Benevolent Tech, who will be leading government research into AI, said,
“There has been a lot of unwarranted negative hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI), but it has the ability to drive enormous growth for the UK economy, create jobs, foster new skills, positively transform every industry and retain Britain’s status as a world leader in innovative technology.
EU universal income must be ‘seriously considered’ amid rise of robots
The announcement is part of the government’s new “Digital Strategy”, which will be announced in full on Wednesday. As well as investment in research and the tech industry, the strategy is also expected to detail a comprehensive modernisation of the civil service.
The government has been heavily criticised the delay in the publication of the strategy. In 2015, Ed Vaizey, the then Digital Minister, said plans would be published in early 2016.
In January, the chairman of the government’s Science and Technology Committee criticised the government for this delay.
In a letter to Digital Minister Matt Hancock, Mr Metcalfe expressed his “disappointment over such a long delay.”
The letter also asked “why the strategy continues to be a work in progress nearly a year after [Mr Hancock’s] predecessor considered it already largely completed.”
The government has said it was forced to delay the publication of the report to take into account the impact of Brexit.
However, other sources have suggested that Whitehall’s resistance to the modernisation of the civil service under the Government Digital Service plans was also a significant factor.
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