Amid this week’s focus on AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, the Royal Academy of Engineering has warned that a digital and engineering skills shortage could prevent the UK from meeting its ambitions to be a global leader in AI.

The Academy says that the development of AI will result in increasing global demand for software engineers, computer programmers and database modellers. It adds that an AI-ambitious UK will need to grow its own expertise but recent data shows there are not enough young people choosing digital and computing subjects to fulfil the government’s plan.

In 2023, 90,000 students took GCSE computer science, which equates to about 15% of the UK’s total 16-year-old population; the remaining 85% will have had no formal education in computer science since the age of 14, and the vast majority will never study computing again. At A level, computer science may be among the fastest growing subjects, but the 16% year-on-year growth represents an increase of just 2,600 pupils or 0.5% of the total cohort. Only 18,000 students in the UK chose to continue their computer science studies to A level.

Further on in education the potential AI talent pool gets even smaller: only 5% of the UK’s undergraduates in 2022 started computing-related degrees such as computer science, software engineering, artificial intelligence and information technology.

Dr Hayaatun Sillem, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Putting important questions concerning AI safety and ethics to one side, there is a fundamental question that the UK needs to answer about this new platform technology if we want to be a world leader: where will the skills come from to deliver our AI future?

“Rapid growth in demand for AI skills is a global phenomenon, with businesses, universities and governments worldwide seeking AI experts. Unless we address this skills challenge now, the shortage of talent in AI and computing will have a profound impact on the UK’s ability to be a global leading player in this sector. Engineering and computer science skills are key to the UK meeting its ambition to realise the benefits of AI technologies, which could range from tools to assist surgeons with complex surgery to providing real-time sports analytics.

“As well as software skills, to be a true AI leader the UK will also need world-leading skills to design, build and maintain the hardware and networks that enable modern AI systems; and everyone should have the grounding in digital skills to work effectively with these technologies.”

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