Technology

The State Opening of Parliament took place on Wednesday 17 July and Labour is already acting at pace to deliver its tech missions. The King’s Speech provided further clarity on how the party intends to deliver on this to make the UK a key technology player. In this article Brevia outlines the key tech announcements from the King’s Speech.

The UK has emerged as a prominent player in AI, with a thriving market and a projected value of £803.7 billion by 2035. However, the rapid pace of AI development has raised questions about regulatory frameworks and the Government’s capacity to manage this innovation effectively.

The Government announced in March 2023 a significant update in the tax relief system for video game companies, with the replacement of Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) by the new Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC).

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Bill aims to protect consumers and promote fair competition in the digital marketplace.

The Online Safety Bill, also known as the Online Harms Bill, has been designed to address the issue of harmful content on the internet and ensure a safer online environment. This legislation is poised to have significant implications, extending beyond major technology corporations to affect a multitude of businesses nationwide.

Before the coronavirus crisis, the UK Government was in the process of looking into online harms and formulating legislation to combat them, with the proposed measures designed to be the ‘first of their kind’. The emergence of coronavirus has highlighted the full breadth of online harms and their potential for damage, and accelerated the Government’s appetite to respond.