How to stop Britain being a technological ‘vassal state’?

·39 min·3 clips

Nick Clegg says Britain is a 'vassal state' to American tech, dismissing billion-dollar investments as 'sheds full of GPUs'.

The episode begins with hosts Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott reflecting on the one-year anniversary of their podcast and the recent Times Tech Summit. They highlight the shift in AI discussions from basic questions to trillion-dollar investments and regulatory challenges. The first segment focuses on AI's energy consumption, noting that training models like ChatGPT uses electricity equivalent to 400,000 homes annually, with data centers projected to consume 6-7% of global electricity by 2030. Sir Stephen Lovegrove, chairman of Rolls-Royce SMR, discusses small modular reactors, revealing they are stadium-sized and criticizes the UK government for moving too slowly. Ant Roustrand from ARIA explains the agency's high-risk projects, including a Star Trek replicator and perpetual flight. Robert Thompson, CEO of News Corp, details the 'woo or sue' approach to AI copyright, mentioning a $1.5 billion lawsuit against Anthropic and deals with OpenAI. Jimmy Wales discusses Wikipedia's struggles with AI crawlers and the importance of factual access. Nick Clegg, former Deputy Prime Minister and Meta executive, argues Britain is a technological 'vassal state' dependent on US tech, dismissing recent investments as 'sheds full of GPUs.' The episode concludes with discussions on an AI growth lab and future transport technologies from Waymo and Joby, emphasizing the rapid pace of innovation and geopolitical tensions.

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A sharp, grounded listen on AI, copyright, and the pressure for transparency.

This Times Tech Podcast episode is strongest when it looks beneath the surface of today’s AI worries. Danny Fortson and Katie Prescott keep the discussion grounded in the messy reality of adoption: old systems, uneven teams, and companies that do not always know how to make new…

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Want to know who gets to set the rules when AI moves through companies, newsrooms, and creative work?

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