A high-stakes dialogue between the United Kingdom and OpenAI explored a partnership of unprecedented scale: a £2 billion deal to make premium AI a utility for every citizen. This conversation, though it didn’t lead to a deal, reveals the depth of the relationship being forged.
The meetings between Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and CEO Sam Altman were more than just diplomatic photo opportunities; they were substantive working sessions. The floating of the national ChatGPT Plus subscription idea shows that both parties were willing to think creatively and ambitiously about the future of their collaboration.
The rejection of the idea on cost grounds does not signify a failure of the partnership. Instead, it helped to refine the focus, steering the collaboration towards more achievable goals. The subsequent memorandum of understanding on using AI in public services is a direct, practical outcome of this ongoing dialogue.
This process of exploring and refining ideas is characteristic of a healthy and developing partnership. It indicates that the UK and OpenAI are moving beyond preliminary engagement to a more mature phase of identifying realistic, mutually beneficial projects.