podcast-daymond-john

Prepare for robot bus drivers in new Tech Britain

with

Prepare for robot bus drivers in new Tech Britain

with
Share Button

In 2010, a revolution began. In east London a cluster of tech start-ups began a digital transformation. Tech City was born and in the past five years, the UK’s digital economy has changed beyond recognition.

Every part of the UK economy and our lives has been digitised, from how we shop and entertain ourselves to the way we travel to work and manage our health — and more than 70 per cent of digital businesses are now based outside the capital. We’re home to thriving digital companies such as SwiftKey, TransferWise and onefinestay.

UK plc is one of the most developed digital economies in the world. This revolution has been led by entrepreneurs but supported by government in creating the right environment for ideas and businesses to flourish. Tech City has done sterling work in supporting businesses embracing the technological revolution, while the government has established the world-leading Government Digital Service.

We’ve helped accelerate digital progress, including opening up more than 20,000 government-held data sources to the world, now used to underpin apps such as Citymapper and Zoopla. And we’re making it easier for smaller businesses to bid for government contracts and sell services to the public sector via the digital marketplace we have created.

We want the UK to be synonymous with digital, a place where technology transforms day-to-day life.

The potential impact is profound. It might mean that the best educators from around the world are made accessible to all — with virtual reality sets bringing Nobel laureates into the classroom. That we can build better houses, faster. That more power is given to the patient, and the care we provide for our elderly and sick is improved and made more affordable. That we use driverless robotic buses in rural communities or help people to find parking places using GPS technology.

We can also build a new version of government — one that gives citizens the power to take control of the way they interact with the state.

Early next year, we’ll set out a new digital strategy for the UK, looking to the next five years. Working with colleagues across government, it will set the digital agenda for the rest of the parliament, so that the UK continues to lead the way.

When people want to start a digital business, trial new ways of working or invest in cutting-edge technology, we want them to choose the UK. This revolution is here to stay, and the UK as the “Tech Nation” is the future we want to build.

Andy McGowan
Latest posts by Andy McGowan (see all)