Sources: in a meeting with UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, Sam Altman proposed giving ChatGPT Plus to everyone in the UK, a deal that would have cost £2B
“we'll give your entire country chatgpt plus for £2bn. please???” — also, fuck you peter kyle for even taking this meeting. Mateusz Fafinski / @calthalas : Two billion for country-wide access to ChatGPT. — Yearly budget of Arts and Humanities Research Council is little over two hundred million. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... James / @zemblamatic : Absolute confirmation that the whole thing is a charade and shell game www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Hannah Fearn / @hannahfearn : There's a racial and cultural tinderbox being set alight on our streets, and we're bothering about everyone having access to the latest gpt (which most productivity use in small biz - which can't afford it itself - doesn't actually need)? — I mean... www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... @gazza-d : Hardly surprising that the same minister who claims VPNs put children at risk swallows all the snake oil and wants to sell us down the AI river. — Thicker than custard. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... @aoboyle : Drug dealers selling crack to idiots. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Ed Wilson / @eddwilson : “Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister” — But... “The science and technology department said it had not taken forward any proposal to give UK residents access to ChatGPT Plus...” — I'm more concerned with copyright and bias against smaller companies. Andy Brockman / @andybrockman : “UK Government Discusses £2bn Danegeld Deal with Snake Oil Selling Intellectual Property Thieves” — There, fixed it. Weird Alex / @jackalpants : One of those moments where you realise part of the problem is that one of the people in charge is as smart as a bowl of mashed potatoes. — Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science,Innovation and Technology: “ChatGPT can be a very good tutor.” — So he doesn't understand how it works at ALL Tristan Grayford / @tristangrayford.scot : This deal, if it had been approved, would have been 25% of his entire department's capital budget. — Kyle signed a deal to use OpenAI across Government services a month before the latest ChatGPT version was such a flop it shook the entire industry. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... James Crossland / @jamescrossland : www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Filing this under “shit I don't want my taxes spent on”. — Fix the roads. — Fix the health service. — Fix the trains. — Fix the schools. — Fix this stuff without lazily assuming that AI is the snappy answer to complex questions. Ryan Lambie / @ryanlambie : FFS. We need better education, care and infrastructure, not free chatbot subscriptions — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Tom Ewing / @tomewing : I have had jobs where a huge amount of it was keeping the boss as far away as possible from the people pitching “innovations” plus damage limitation should this fail, and Peter Kyle *really* needs someone like that — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Tony Yates / @t0nyyates : This is a very weird story. Peter Kyle has said some crazy stuff. But this reads like someone trying to make mischief out of not much, and the Guardian absolutely desperate for some inches. www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Ian Waring / @ianwaring : Have the VCs stopped paying out, so he's going for public sector funding instead? Ed Newton-Rex / @ednewtonrex : Deal to get Napster for whole of UK discussed by Napster boss and minister — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... [image] Ken Tindell / @kentindell : The UK has cut more than £2bn from welfare payments to disabled people, many of whom no longer receive help to feed or clothe themselves. — But I guess now they will receive free digital therapy from BritGPT to cheer them up 🤷♂️ Paul Pod / @paulpod : Jesus fucking christ, lay off the crack pipe you lot — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Mastodon: Julian Oliver / @JulianOliver@mastodon.social : Can't make it up — Peter Kyle, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Tech, “has been a vocal champion of AI within government and has also embraced its use in his own role. In March, it emerged that he had asked ChatGPT for advice on a range of work-related questions, including why British businesses were not adopting AI and what podcasts he should appear on.” … @Firesphere@cloudisland.nz : In a clear sign that the “#AI” “sector” is in desperate need for more money, #OpenAI tries to sell a license to a whole country. — https://www.theguardian.com/ ... Steve Woods / @wood5y@mastodonapp.uk : “The non-binding deal could give OpenAI access to government data and lead to its software being used in education, defence, security and the justice system.” — What could possibly go right? — #AI — https://www.theguardian.com/ ... Forums: r/ChatGPTPro : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister r/europe : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister | Peter Kyle r/artificial : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister r/OpenAI : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister | Peter Kyle r/BetterOffline : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister Peter Kyle r/ukpolitics : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister r/unitedkingdom : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister | Peter Kyle | The Guardian r/singularity : Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister
The Guardian
Context & Ripple Effects
The reported pitch extends an existing UK–OpenAI relationship: the government had already been developing Gov.uk Chat using OpenAI technology for public-service tasks. It shifts the question from deploying a chatbot inside government to potentially underwriting consumer-grade model access nationwide.
It also arrives while the UK is consulting on AI copyright rules that could require greater model scrutiny through an AI-and-copyright consultation. That makes any broad public commitment to a single provider more consequential than a conventional software purchase.
First-order effects
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology says it did not take the proposal forward, so there is no nationwide ChatGPT Plus entitlement or resulting £2bn public commitment.
OpenAI’s reported offer nevertheless puts a national-access model into the UK’s policy conversation, alongside its existing government-facing use.
Second-order effects
Any future nationwide AI-access procurement would force ministers to weigh a consumer subscription against narrower public-service deployments, and to define access, accountability and value-for-money terms.
A large public deal with one model provider would likely intensify scrutiny of the provider’s data, copyright and safety posture—areas already implicated by the UK’s copyright consultation.
Third-order effects
If governments increasingly negotiate population-scale access to frontier models, AI distribution could become a procurement and public-infrastructure question rather than solely a consumer subscription market.
That trajectory could concentrate influence with vendors able to meet state requirements, while creating pressure for governments to retain leverage through interoperable or multi-provider arrangements.
The trend: This is a data point in the shift toward states treating access to leading AI models as a strategic public-service and procurement decision.
Argghhh, please.... a secretary of state who can't recognise an over-hyped, failing exercise in mass plagiarism for what it is 🤦🤦🤦 https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Is this the point at which I feel smug and say I've been trying to land a story going to countries where they already use AI across million-plus, government-subsidised populations for about six weeks? If you're an editor suddenly interested, lmk https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
‘In March, it emerged that he had asked ChatGPT for advice on a range of work-related questions, including why British businesses were not adopting AI and what podcasts he should appear on.’ Kyle seems a bit dopey.
This idiocy has to stop. The UK govt actually had a discussion with Open AI to buy ChatGPT for all UK citizens, on the tax-payers dime at a cost of £2 billion. Incompetence & naivete at the highest levels. We urgently need a new government.
The idea of spending £2 Billion of taxpayer money to buy chat GPT for UK citizens shits on creatives OpenAI has stolen from (including most of us published writers), goes insanely against energy targets, transfers money to rich grifters when UK is broke, and spreads dodgy product
I love that in parts of the UK, we still have barely acceptable internet - and the 4/5G speeds continue to be pathetic - but no yea, lets do ChatGPT for all... lol wtf [image]
Also I do think there's a counterfactual of the “UK govt discussed a £2bn deal with OpenAI to give everyone in the UK pro access” story that COULD be interesting IF we lived in an upside-down world where that was an investment in a digital public good www.theguardian.com/politics…
jesus fuck altman really wants money. — “we'll give your entire country chatgpt plus for £2bn. please???” — also, fuck you peter kyle for even taking this meeting.
Two billion for country-wide access to ChatGPT. — Yearly budget of Arts and Humanities Research Council is little over two hundred million. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
There's a racial and cultural tinderbox being set alight on our streets, and we're bothering about everyone having access to the latest gpt (which most productivity use in small biz - which can't afford it itself - doesn't actually need)? — I mean... www.theguardian.com/politi…
Hardly surprising that the same minister who claims VPNs put children at risk swallows all the snake oil and wants to sell us down the AI river. — Thicker than custard. — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
“Deal to get ChatGPT Plus for whole of UK discussed by Open AI boss and minister” — But... “The science and technology department said it had not taken forward any proposal to give UK residents access to ChatGPT Plus...” — I'm more concerned with copyright and bias against s…
One of those moments where you realise part of the problem is that one of the people in charge is as smart as a bowl of mashed potatoes. — Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology: “ChatGPT can be a very good tutor.” — So he doesn't understand how…
This deal, if it had been approved, would have been 25% of his entire department's capital budget. — Kyle signed a deal to use OpenAI across Government services a month before the latest ChatGPT version was such a flop it shook the entire industry. — www.theguardian.com/polit…
www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202... Filing this under “shit I don't want my taxes spent on”. — Fix the roads. — Fix the health service. — Fix the trains. — Fix the schools. — Fix this stuff without lazily assuming that AI is the snappy answer to complex questions.
I have had jobs where a huge amount of it was keeping the boss as far away as possible from the people pitching “innovations” plus damage limitation should this fail, and Peter Kyle *really* needs someone like that — www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
This is a very weird story. Peter Kyle has said some crazy stuff. But this reads like someone trying to make mischief out of not much, and the Guardian absolutely desperate for some inches. www.theguardian.com/politics/ 202...
The UK has cut more than £2bn from welfare payments to disabled people, many of whom no longer receive help to feed or clothe themselves. — But I guess now they will receive free digital therapy from BritGPT to cheer them up 🤷♂️
Can't make it up — Peter Kyle, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Tech, “has been a vocal champion of AI within government and has also embraced its use in his own role. In March, it emerged that he had asked ChatGPT for advice on a range of work-related questio…
“The non-binding deal could give OpenAI access to government data and lead to its software being used in education, defence, security and the justice system.” — What could possibly go right? — #AI — https://www.theguardian.com/ ...