---
title: Burnham on Bots + Not *That* Kind of AI Expert, Please
description: Starmer's resignation leaves UK AI policy in flux just as new data shows a widening skills gap. We unpack what Burnham might mean for AI in the UK.
image: https://aiintheuk.com/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Jul%202%2c%202026%2c%2004_53_40%20PM.png
---

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New episode · 2 July 2026

# Burnham on Bots

Plus: Not \*That\* Kind of AI Expert, Please

![](https://aiintheuk.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ChatGPT%20Image%20Jul%202%2c%202026%2c%2004_53_40%20PM.png?width=1200&height=800&name=ChatGPT%20Image%20Jul%202%2c%202026%2c%2004_53_40%20PM.png)

## Featured this week

Andy Burnham, the heavy favourite to become the UK's next PM, has indicated instincts around AI that differ markedly from Keir Starmer's. Whether they signal a new era of AI driven more by the public good, or a dampening effect in places like London's Knowledge Quarter – or both – is an open question. We look into exactly what a Burnham premiership might mean for the UK's AI industry. 

New UK AI skills data shows that demand for applied AI roles rose 61% in 2025 but fewer than one in ten firms investing in AI report meaningful returns. The problem is not mainly a shortage of deep technical talent. It is the rarity of people who combine business knowledge, technical fluency, and the ability to drive change inside large organisations built for a pre-AI world.

[Listen to the full episode](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/niels-footman/episodes/Burnham-on-Bots-Not-That-Kind-of-Expert--Please-e3lgn9u)

## Also this week

**UK backs two new AI research labs with £60 million** — UCL and Oxford will lead labs focused on open-source systems and low-compute learning, backed by EPSRC. [Read more](https://www.ukri.org/news/ukri-launches-two-ai-research-labs-to-stay-ahead-in-global-race/)

**Northumbria study finds policing AI safeguards lagging badly** — Researchers mapped 70 live or in-development AI tools across UK policing and found "human in the loop" oversight is often nominal. [Read more](https://newsroom.northumbria.ac.uk/pressreleases/ai-in-policing-safeguards-cant-keep-up-new-research-warns-3456318)

**UK's £750 million national supercomputer breaks ground in Edinburgh** — Construction has started on what EPCC describes as the country's most powerful computer, part of the sovereign compute push. [Read more](https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/uks-ps750m-supercomputer-milestone-as-turf-cut)

**AI minister has not used ChatGPT for ministerial work** — A Freedom of Information request revealed Kanishka Narayan and Liz Kendall have avoided AI chatbots in official business, despite championing public sector adoption. [Read more](https://tech.eu/2026/06/26/ai-minister-shuns-chatgpt-for-ministerial-business/)

**Cambridge PRISM project brings AI to social housing risk detection** — Developed with two local councils, the tool aims to identify at-risk tenancies earlier, with housing professionals kept firmly in the decision loop. [Read more](https://www.chia.cam.ac.uk/news/new-ai-project-helps-councils-identify-social-housing-risks-earlier)

**Nature study finds medical AI privacy risks fall unevenly** — Imperial College London co-authored research showing minority groups and people with rare conditions face greater exposure to membership-inference attacks on medical models. [Read more](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10688-0)

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### Niels Footman

Co-host. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsfootman/) · [footforwardai.com](https://footforwardai.com)

### Matt Wilkinson

Co-host. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwilkinson/) · [Strivenn](https://strivenn.com)

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