Response to Open Letter on Prioritising AI Literacy for All Citizens

In July we coordinated an open letter to Keir Starmer PM, Peter Kyle MP (the then Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology) and Bridget Phillipson MP (then Secretary of State for Education) calling for investment in AI Literacy for All.

We received a brief e-mail reply from the Department for Education and, on August 28th, a reply from Feryal Clark MP, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology which is quoted below:

Thank you for your open letter to Government of 8 July on behalf of 70 academics, campaigners and community members regarding the importance of prioritising critical AI literacy for all citizens. I am responding as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government and apologise for the delay in you receiving a response.

We welcome your recognition of the Government’s recent £187 million investment in digital skills and AI education. As you rightly note, ensuring the UK is truly AI-ready requires more than technical training—it demands inclusive, accessible, and independent learning opportunities that empower individuals from all walks of life to engage meaningfully with AI.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is committed to strengthening the UK’s AI skills and talent base. Through the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we are expanding educational pathways into AI, supporting lifelong learning, and investing in programmes such as the AI Spärck scholarships and AI Conversion Courses, which have successfully broadened participation, including among underrepresented groups. We are also working with Skills England to map national skills needs and ensure that AI education reaches across regions and communities.

We agree that public trust in AI depends on sustained engagement and understanding. That is why DSIT continues to support initiatives that embed public voices into AI development. The department is actively exploring how to scale up independent learning models, including those developed by civil society and academia, and we are encouraged by the success of programmes such as BRAID and Responsible AI UK’s contextualised skills projects.

We also recognise the value of international collaboration and learning from global best practice. The UK’s leadership in AI is underpinned by our commitment to safe, responsible, and inclusive innovation, as demonstrated by our support for the Council of Europe’s Convention on AI and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

Your call for a meeting to explore co-creation of public education initiatives is appreciated. This request has been shared with the relevant officials, who will be in touch to arrange a meeting. We look forward to continuing dialogue with Connected by Data and other partners to ensure that the UK’s AI future is shaped by informed and engaged citizens.

The full letter is attached here.

Although recent reshuffles might delay meeting arrangements, along with contributors to the Open Letter we’ll continue to explore how civil society and academia can work for the circumstances in which all citizens have access to independent and critical capacity building on AI.