Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Accepted
Strike balance in digital trade to promote AI while safeguarding UK sovereign capabilities.
Recommendation
Any future digital trade provisions negotiated under the Economic Prosperity Deal should strike a careful balance: promoting AI adoption and cross-border collaboration to strengthen the Western technological 55 alliance, while safeguarding intellectual property, ensuring fair taxation, and enabling the development of sovereign UK AI capabilities. (Recommendation, Paragraph 116)
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation, stating it is in line with the UK's approach to EPD discussions and that the UK and US have agreed to negotiate ambitious digital trade provisions to promote growth while safeguarding interests.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government recognises the Committee’s recommendation on digital trade, which is in line with the UK’s approach to EPD discussions. Digital trade has the potential to further economic growth and unlock new opportunities for businesses, workers and consumers. UK-US digitally-delivered services trade amounted to £128bn in 2022, or 76% of total UK-US services trade.3 There are opportunities to expand this strong baseline on digital trade with the US. Businesses on both sides of the Atlantic are telling us they would like to see us deepen our cooperation on digital trade. The UK and US have agreed to negotiate an ambitious set of digital trade provisions, in line with the EPD General Terms.