The UK government has outlined plans to invest an additional £4.7 billion ($5.9 billion) into technology areas including artificial intelligence (AI), 5G networks, smart energy, and robotics by 2020 or 2021 – but its reluctance to reveal the crown jewels to the world (primarily the European Union) gives the impression of a strategy without backbone. Initial directions for the scheme have been published in a 132-page green paper this week, titled Building our Industrial Strategy, which lays out ideas for achieving growth in areas deemed pivotal to the future of the country. The initiative says it will begin by seeking to strike development deals between businesses and academics, to support the commercialization of university research departments – an area of…