The Open Data Institute has published a new report highlighting fundamental flaws within the UK’s technology infrastructure that could undercut the positive impact of AI on society if left unchecked.

The whitepaper, Building a better future with data and AI, is based on research from the first half of 2024 and notes significant weaknesses in AI infrastructure, particularly in data governance, with both present and future implications.

Of particular concern is the reliance on only a handful of machine learning datasets that the research shows lack robust governance frameworks. The report argues that inadequate data governance could lead to biases and unethical practices, leading to a loss of trust and reliability in AI applications within critical areas such as healthcare, finance, and public services.

A lack of data transparency and poor data-sharing practices are also emphasised, with the ODI claiming that this hinders efforts to address biases, remove harmful content, and ensure compliance with legal standards. 

The report stresses that users need better understanding of when to trust AI predictions and when to use their own judgement, with the ODI developing a new ‘AI data transparency index’ to provide a clearer picture of how this varies between different system providers.

Based on the ODI’s research, five key recommendations are given to improve the current state of the UK’s AI infrastructure;

• Ensure broad access to high-quality, well-governed public and private sector data to foster a diverse, competitive AI market.
• Enforce data protection and labour rights in the data supply chain.
• Empower people to have more of a say in the sharing and use of data for AI.
• Update our intellectual property regime to ensure AI models are trained in ways that prioritise trust and empowerment of stakeholders.
• Increase transparency around the data used to train high-risk AI models.

Commenting on the report, Sir Nigel Shadbolt, executive chair & co-founder of the ODI, said: “If the UK is to benefit from the extraordinary opportunities presented by AI, the government must look beyond the hype and attend to the fundamentals of a robust data ecosystem built on sound governance and ethical foundations.

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“The UK has the opportunity to build better data governance systems for AI that ensure we are best placed to take advantage of technological innovations and create economic and social value whilst guarding against potential risks.”

Fixing the fundamental issues within AI infrastructure could lead to an economic boost for the UK, with recent data showing that at least 30% of generative AI projects will be abandoned after proof of concept by the end of 2025 due to poor data quality, inadequate risk controls, escalating costs, or unclear business value.