Independent not-for-profit membership body brings together everyone who uses, builds, governs or teaches AI in the UK
The UK AI Council launched today at ukaic.org, opening membership to end-users, builders, researchers, educators and leaders working in artificial intelligence across the United Kingdom.
The Council is designed to bring together the full AI ecosystem in one place: the end-users who need to adopt the technology, the builders who create it, the leaders who shape its direction, and the educators and institutions preparing the next generation. Its aim is to raise collective capability across the UK, so that competence in AI is spread across the nation rather than confined to industry.
Becoming a genuinely AI-capable country takes more than strategy documents and investment announcements. It requires a broad, competent base of people and organisations who understand how to use, govern and advance AI responsibly. The UK AI Council was founded to help close that gap.
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"Plenty of people are writing about what AI will do. Far fewer are doing the unglamorous work of making people competent at it. That is the work we have set ourselves, and from today anyone can join us in it." Philip Blake, CEO, UK AI Council
The Council is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation, not a government department, regulator or awarding body. It does not create new standards. Instead, it helps
members navigate established frameworks including NIST, ISO and the EU AI Act, and shares practical best practice drawn from members' own experience. It does not lobby on behalf of any single commercial interest.
Membership is structured to be accessible from wherever a member is starting. Free entry points and academic partnerships ensure that cost does not determine who can build AI capability, and members follow a defined pathway from curiosity to recognised expertise.
WHAT THE COUNCIL COMMITS TO
• Competence first-clear progression pathways from curiosity to recognised capability
• Open by design-free entry points and academic partnerships, so talent is never locked out
• Practical, not theoretical-training, certification and events built to deliver real workplace value
• Bridge-builder-connecting academia, industry, government and individuals, without competing on standards
• Evidence-led-using insight from the membership base to inform better decisions
"A launch event is a small thing on its own. What matters is that from today there is somewhere to go-whether you are a chief executive working out where to start, or a student who has never been given a route in."
Amelia Hewitt, COO, UK AI Council
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What happens next
The founding community will meet in person on Monday 14 September 2026 at Heron House in Manchester-a deliberately small gathering of founding members and partners, followed by informal networking at The Fountain House on Albert Square.
Founding partnerships are open alongside membership. Each run for 12 months rather than for a single event, and is offered at three levels:
•Founding Partner: £7,500 plus VAT, limited to 10 organisations
•Strategic Partner: £3,500 plus VAT
•Networking Partner: £1,500 plus VAT
Partnership enquiries go to ahewitt@ukaic.org. Membership is open now at ukaic.org.
Read the Summer 2026 edition free online →
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