Speaking on a panel this morning [17 March 2025], Hassabis said: “UK talent is underestimated in AI. There’s a huge amount of untapped potential here, and I think people don’t fully appreciate the strength of the talent pool in the UK.”

He emphasised that while the UK has a strong talent pool, with top researchers and prestigious universities, it is often overlooked in favour of other global tech hubs. As a result, he stressed the importance of recognising and nurturing this talent to unlock its full potential.

“Innovation is happening at an unprecedented pace. AI is redefining how technology is used,” Hassabis added.

These comments come after Google announced plans to ramp up its AI business in the UK.

One of the major announcements, also announced today, was the expansion of UK data residency to include Agentspace, which will allow AI agents, developed on Google’s infrastructure, to be hosted locally.

This move addresses concerns from organisations wary about storing data outside of the UK, Google revealed.

The company also unveiled a new UK accelerator program, offering up to £280,000 in Google Cloud credits for start-ups that join, along with expanded AI skills training.

Thomas Kurian, CEO at Google Cloud also highlighted Google’s efforts to help businesses deploy AI in a secure and controlled environment, addressing concerns about data privacy.

“They will have full control to keep the data where they need it,” he said.

Allison Kirkby, CEO at BT also spoke about the potential of AI in optimising operations, including its use in detecting phone scams and improving customer service.

“We are quietly reinventing all our operations. Operationally, there is just a huge potential for us,” she stated.

This comes as the telecoms giant revealed it is leveraging large language models from AI vendors like Claude developers Anthropic, Meta, and Amazon through a specially designed internal platform to enhance operations and drive innovation.